Illogical Love
by BewilderedFemale
Summary: Story features Spock/Uhura but they're not the main characters. K'Tiran is not satisfied with life on Vulcan. Rosa is not satisfied with the life her human parents want her to live. What will happen when they meet?
1. Chapter 1

If K'Tiran were allowed to demonstrate any sort of emotion; frustration would be right up there. His father was lecturing him yet again on the honor that is rarely bestowed upon those that are accepted into the science academy. Only the best of the best and he was one of them.  
>From an early age K'Tiran had always demonstrated a natural talent for math and science, he could always reach back and trust that it would just be there while others had to work harder to reach the capacity of where he was at. Maybe this was why the idea of attending the science academy did not entice his interests; there would be no challenge whatsoever.<p>

A meeting was called one day where the lead instructors of the academy sat down with K'Tiran and his parents. They couldn't understand why he was passing on the opportunity to attend such a prestigious schooling experience. They failed to see the logic despite his insistence that science academy would not hold his interest.

"You would be doing a great service to our planet and maybe even become a representative in the future, why would you waste such an opportunity?" They tried to reason.

"I have other plans." Was his simple reply.

"What? Star Fleet? You intend to mingle amongst the humans?"

"They offer programs not available here on Vulcan and it would be prudent to note that other beings apart from humans attend as well."

"But it's based on earth so it is accurate to assume that the majority of them are human, and you know how they can be, is that something you really want to expose yourself to?"

"I would not be the only Vulcan."

"Who else is there? Oh, I assume you're referring to Spock."

"He is a professor there, and has done very well for himself; he commands respect."

"And who is to say that they will do the same to you?"

And that was what K'Tiran wanted to prove not only to himself, but to all of those questioning his actions. This was the challenge that he wanted to conquer. His resolve was stronger than ever now because there was a purpose and he would see to it.  
>"My mind is made up on the matter, I depart in three days."<p>

He stood and made his way out. There was nothing left to say, if he were to follow his parents wishes and attend the science academy he would never really be his own person, always having to follow what is expected of him which sometimes didn't seem all that logical to him, he only hoped that he would not regret his decision.

OoOoOoOoO

K'Tiran was tall for a Vulcan and he towered above most humans in his 6"7" stature. As he walked to his new dorm, he remained expressionless as almost everyone turned to look at him as he passed. You'd think they'd never seen a Vulcan before although he quickly realized that maybe some of them never have.

He noticed that he was receiving a mixture of expressions. Some of them seemed shocked, some intimidated no doubt by his height, and the fact that he was wearing all black clothing in contrast to his pale skin probably didn't help either, but then he realized that some of the females were giving him looks of interest. He noted that women of earth were not as unattractive as he expected but it did not matter at any rate, he was here for a purpose and nothing would steer him away from that.

He made it to his dorm and due to his request and needs in terms of meditation, he had been granted his very own room. It was not very big but it would suit to his needs since he planned to do nothing other than sleep, study, meditate, and consume meals while he was here.

When he was done with his packing, he headed towards the cafeteria since he needed to go out and purchase food once he found out where to acquire it. Once there; he instantly realized that there indeed was a wide variety of beings, and yes; most of them were human.

He grabbed a tray and began to eye the line up of food they had, it was all so different from Vulcan cuisine, human food seemed to attempt to entice the visual senses as well as serve as fuel for the body.  
>He had done plenty of research before leaving Vulcan so he recognized what was a mixed variety of fruit as well as a quinoa salad. He did not know if he would like it so he took both of them in an attempt to experiment.<p>

He opted to sit in the back where there was a lone table, it offered a good view of the rest of the inhabitants in the cafeteria and he could watch and observe how those around him behaved. A lot of these humans were quite obnoxious as they seemed to communicate to one another loudly, was there really a need for that?  
>He took a bite of his quinoa and while it was not unpleasant, it wasn't the best thing he had ever tasted, but then again food was food and as long as it served the purpose to make him feel full, that was all he really cared about.<p>

As he ate, he watched and noted how humans felt the need to communicate even while consuming sustenance. Did they ever shut up?  
>All the voices seemed to come together to make a loud clatter of sounds co-mingling and it was making him feel a bit uneasy. Perhaps dining in the cafeteria was not such a suitable choice after all.<p>

He was done with his quinoa and now moved on to his fruit salad which he found was far more palatable than the other food; he would have to make a mental note of this for it was quite unlike anything he had had before.  
>He made haste in finishing the rest of his food as it seemed that more people were coming in to the cafeteria and the sounds combined with the overwhelming number of people were proving to be a bit too much for him.<br>A cup of tea followed by meditation seemed to be a suitable way to spend the rest of the afternoon, but he decided to leave that for later in the evening since he had been told that the library had a fine collection of books from various planets. Tomorrow he would be formally introduced to Spock and he had to prepare the many questions he would hopefully know the answers to.

OoOoOoOoO

Rosa was ecstatic. She had finally made it to Starfleet Academy after all her hard work and determination, including going against her parent's wishes. They felt that she should concentrate on finding a nice young man and settle down to form a family but Rosa had other plans and the conquest of a man was not in any way shape or form included in those plans. She never understood how her culture held on to its ancient traditions despite how far women had come. They didn't have to settle for marriage, they had more options then that; way more options.

She did however want very much to meet new people and learn about various cultures and other alien forms to enrich her mind so she made it a point to head out to the library where the first 'Culture Cadet Club' was taking place. She was nervous but excited at the same time.

The meeting was being held in one of the private conference rooms within the library and as she passed the rows of books, she couldn't help but look over at the direction of what was probably one of the tallest cadets she had ever seen, even more so if you considered the comparison to her mere 5'0" stature.

Was he a cadet? She couldn't tell because he was wearing something that looked like black robes. Classes were not in session yet so they weren't required to wear uniforms.  
>He looked intimidating even in his normal stance and once she saw the ears she realized why. She had heard about Vulcans but never actually met one up close and she wasn't really sure she wanted to. She had to laugh at herself because here she was trying to meet and greet with diverse people; all except Vulcans apparently.<p>

Rosa had nothing against them but she was all about emotions, they were what made life well.. life! So here was a race of beings that completely went against what she held so dear to her, and even though she would still treat them with respect, she had no desire to get to know them better. She had heard that they all seemed to want to be by themselves anyhow which explained why the one she was looking at was by himself.  
>He was rather good looking though, say what you will; you could not take that away from him.<br>She realized she was staring when he turned from the book he was grabbing to look at her as if he knew he was being stared at. The eye contact was brief but it still caused Rosa to feel heat rise from her feet all the way to her face. It was the first time that had ever happened to her. It was probably due to the discomfort if being caught staring at him she reasoned.

She quickly shifted her gaze and entered the room where the meeting was being held; temporarily putting the odd Vulcan out of her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**FF ****was ****being ****stupid ****yesterday ****so ****for ****some ****reason ****it ****wouldn****'****t ****let ****me ****write ****the ****intro ****in ****bold ****letters ****(all ****the ****words ****showed ****up ****stuck ****together) ****This ****story ****features ****Spock ****and ****Uhura ****but ****they****'****re ****not ****the ****main ****characters.**

**This ****story ****does ****not ****follow ****the ****exact ****order ****of ****the ****2009 ****movie ****but ****is ****set ****during ****that ****time ****before ****the ****Enterprise ****is ****commissioned.**

**This ****is ****my ****first ****time ****writing ****anything ****Star****Trek ****related ****so ****rest ****assured ****that ****you ****WILL ****probably ****stumble ****across ****terminology ****that ****isn****'****t**** "****Star****Trek****" ****accurate, ****but ****I ****will ****do ****the ****best ****I ****can ****within ****my ****limits.**

**I** **own ****nothing, ****and ****the ****character ****of ****Hawkeye ****is ****used ****with ****the ****consent ****of ****my ****friend ****Condiotti.****:o)**

K'Tiran was fascinated with the library at Starfleet Academy. They had all the books that he had wanted to read and couldn't get a hold of on Vulcan. He knew right away where he would be spending his freed up time at.

He was just reaching for a book on Human Mythology when a certain aroma hit his senses. It was a sweet smell that reminded him of the T'shira fields on Vulcan; they were a lot like peonies. Then accompanied with the scent he felt the stare of someone observing him and he turned to find a small human female looking at him. Not like the other females had been watching, but her stare was more curiosity mixed with reluctance. He wondered why she should be reluctant of him if they had never even met before and his hypothesis was proven correct as she quickly averted her stare and hastily entered one of the conference rooms. He raised an eyebrow and then went back to his book; getting use to being around humans was going to be more challenging than he had anticipated which could prove to be both good and bad.

OoOoOoOoO

Rosa picked a seat in the middle row, the meeting had not started yet and there were a couple of people that were already there. She was greeted by a friendly young woman who extended her hand and introduced herself: "I'm cadet Uhura, President of the club."

"Very nice to meet you; I'm cadet Santeiro."

"Glad to have you aboard." She said with a beautiful smile.

Rosa sat down and smiled at the cadet next to her, a blonde young woman who looked a bit nervous.

"We'll start the meeting in about five minutes to make sure everyone is here." Cadet Uhura announced.

Rosa pulled out her 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' book out of her bag and began to page through it. There was a chocolate almond cake that she had been wanting to try to make. Suddenly the blonde girl leaned over and gasped: "Is that Julia Child's book?"

"Why yes it is." Replied Rosa.

"Where did you get it? You have no idea how I've looked for this book! Can I look at it?"

"Sure, and I actually found it here at the library."

The blonde woman's eyes seemed to sparkle as she flipped through the pages. The book was written decades ago and it was very different from modern cook books but the recipe's were what a cook would consider classic at it's best.  
>"You know there is a cake she made one time that I'm dying to make myself the.."<p>

"Chocolate almondine tart" They both said at the same time.  
>Both their eyes shot open and they laughed together.<p>

"You know, I hear that cadets are given certain hours where they can go in to the east building and use the cooking facilities so long as you provide your own ingredients and clean up afterwards, would you be interested in making the cake together?"

"I would like that very much!" The blonde woman said and extended her hand to her. "I'm Cadet Hawkeye, and it's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Replied Rosa.

Just then, a couple of other people arrived and Cadet Uhura began the meeting. So far things were looking good in terms of making new friends, which was exactly what Rosa wanted.

OoOoOoOoOoO

K'Tiran arrived in Spock's office precisely on time. Spock was at his desk going over what seemed to be schedule when he looked up and stood from where he was seated.

"So, you have come." Spock said.

"I have, although it is a decision that I know a lot of our people back home do not agree with."

Spock nodded at this. "I know, I went through something similar with my father, he was very displeased with my choice… at first."

This caused K'Tiran's eyebrow to shoot up in interest. "Does he approve now? What has changed if you don't mind me asking."

"Well I would not say he approves, but he is not against it as he once was. He knows that I am content here for various reasons." Spock fought off a smirk as the thoughts of Cadet Uhura suddenly came to mind.

"At any rate you too should do exceedingly well so long as you focus on your studies and are diligent in everything that you do."

K'Tiran nodded again. "I intend to do just that but I must ask you; how do you bear being amongst so many humans? Does it not interfere with your success?"

Spock kept his face as impassive as possible, once again thinking about how challenging it had been to fight off his feelings for Cadet Uhura at first until he found he couldn't do it anymore, but he had also found that being without her was simply not something neither his human nor his Vulcan side could handle. When it pertained to her he simply did what felt right.

"They will be challenging at times, but you will soon see that they're all very different. They have different personalities and some of them you'll be shocked to find do not differ all that much from our own, but you must remember that for most of them; their very existence revolves around emotion. Meditation for the first couple of weeks will be an absolute necessity to keep your own in check."

"This advice is very helpful to me, but I know that I will have many more questions."

"And you can come to me and we can discuss this until you feel you are able to handle things on your own." Spock replied.

"I would appreciate it greatly, when can we do this?"

Spock sat back down and flipped through the agenda he was previously writing on. He was free Wednesday nights but that was Uhura time so that was definitely out of the question.

"I am able to do this Monday evenings, does this sound plausible to you?"

"It does" K'Tiran said. I shall see you Tomorrow in class for I believe you are the instructor for one of them.

Spock nodded and saw K'Tiran to the door. "Remember what I have said, and you will do well."

OoOoOoOoOoO

It had been the first day of classes and Rosa had been both excited and nervous, but she was glad to see that Cadet Hawkeye was in two of her classes and they were actually on their way to attend the last one of the day which was 'Understanding Universal Communications'

Once they were in class, Rosa and Hawkeye were talking about how their day had been going so far when suddenly they realized that they were the only two talking, had the instructor walked in without their knowledge? Rosa looked around but saw it wasn't time for class to start yet and there was no sign of the instructor, but then when she saw the larger than life figure walking in front of them she realized the reason for the silence. He had looked good yesterday in the library but today he looked gorgeous in his red uniform, it brought out the brown in his eyes.  
>Plus there was the fact that he was so tall and Rosa had always had a thing for really tall guys.<p>

He glanced briefly at Hawkeye and then at Rosa and she could've sworn that she saw something flicker in his eye as if remembering who she was but then he averted his gaze and sat down.  
>So, he wasn't an instructor after all, just a regular cadet, and a first year like her apparently.<br>He pulled out his necessary supplies for class and sat up straight, not looking anywhere but in front of him.

Rosa and Hawkeye exchanged looks of curiosity as they watched the Vulcan comport himself. "_So__predictable_" Rosa thought and looked away as the door opened and in came yet another Vulcan. Rosa's eyes widened but then her expression was unreadable. Internally she was wondering just how many Vulcans she was going to come across in the course of the day.

"I am Commander Spock, and will be your instructor for this term." _Great,__just__great_. Rosa thought.

He began to give a very formal introduction to that class, expressed what he expected of the cadets in terms of work, studying and what they needed to do to receive high markings.  
>Hawkeye and Rosa would sometimes exchange glances at each other as if to say: "There goes my social life."<p>

The class was definitely not going to be easy, but Rosa had come too far to back out now and if that meant having no social life then so be it.  
>Unlike other classes that ended early on the first day, Commander Spock had them stay the entire length of the class going over what the first quarter of the term would entail. Five minutes before class was over the Commander announced:<br>"For your first assignment I would like for the person on the odd row's to turn back to the person on the even row and the person that they're facing is the one that they're going to partner up with for the assignment that will be due by next week."

And then Rosa saw as the giant Vulcan sitting in front of her turned around and looked her square in the eyes and said: "Looks like we will be working together."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Even as Commander Spock gave the final instructions, everything seemed to go by in slow motion for Rosa, someone was pulling a prank on her. Out of all the people she could've been paired off with it had to be the Vulcan. She saw as he faced her and she tried to keep the look on her face expressionless even as he seemed to almost be enjoying the fact that they were going to be paired up, but then she had to remind herself that such a being took joy in nothing, it was her human eye playing tricks on her.

Then he said: "Looks like we will be working together."

Really Sherlock? Did he think that she hadn't been able to figure out as much on her own? This was starting out real bad, she wanted to just run away and cook food, that always relaxed her. She forced herself to nod at him and say: "If you have a moment after class, we can discuss a time that would be suitable for the both of us." God, she sounded more Vulcan than he did! And he obviously took note of this for he lifted an eyebrow and then turned back to face the Commander.

"You have your orders, you are dismissed."

Rosa looked over to where Hawkeye was and noticed that she had been paired off with the most gorgeous guy she had ever seen in her life. Tall, broad chested with blonde wavy hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a slight blush of the cheeks as he talked to her and smiled.

Damn it! Why couldn't' she have been paired off with him?  
>She sighed loudly and got up suddenly about to make a hasty retreat when she felt hurried footsteps following her and she suddenly remembered what she had told the larger than life guy. She turned around looking as expressionless as she could to find that it was in fact him looking at her in a curious manner. This took her off guard a bit and she suddenly realized just how big he was in comparison to her despite the fact that her boots added about an inch to her height. She suddenly felt uncomfortable and looked away from eyes that tried to search for something she didn't know.<br>He looked at her for a moment longer before he began: "I am Cadet K'Tiran and I am free most evenings after five thirty in the afternoon except on Mondays where I meet with Commander Spock, what day would be convenient for you?"

He had a deep luxurious voice to go with his stature, this was bad… Really bad.

"I am Cadet Santeiro and I enjoy walks along the beach, The letter Q, and anything containing chocolate, oh and I am free most evenings except on Friday, how about Tuesday at the library?"

The Vulcan blinked a few times and Rosa had to look down in order to try and cover the nervous laugh she was stifling, she had not meant to say some of that stuff but she couldn't help herself, he always said stupid things when she was nervous for some reason. It didn't matter, she knew the Vulcan would probably ignore it and get on with the business portion of what she had said, and indeed he did for after he blinked he replied:

"Tuesday will work well, until then." He nodded and he was on his way. Rosa stood there and observed as he took long strides that took him all the way to the other side of the campus in almost no time at all.  
>This was no doubt going to be the longest week ever.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

K'Tiran was grateful for the fact that he was headed towards the last class of the day. He didn't understand why in all of his classes so far the instructors had not used the full amount of time as indicated on his schedule. He had overheard some of the humans say that the first day was just orientation, but it seemed wasteful and illogical to him.

During his Advanced Astro-Physics class he noticed that there was a certain Orion female looking at him peculiarly and this made him feel uneasy, he had to make a mental note to avoid her at all costs in the future.  
>It seemed common for most people on earth to establish close bonds with another person, but it was different from what he was use to seeing for in Vulcan the purpose to establish a bond mate is simply for procreation purposes. In some cases there was a level of respect, but there was nothing else that really tied you together. It was most curious as a lot of them seemed to express their needs publicly by hand holding or even through the looks on their faces, maybe this was something worth reading about the next time he was in the library.<p>

As he walked into the class that was to be instructed by Commander Spock, he was aware of the many eyes that looked at him and the room's noise level suddenly went down 36.5 percent. He hoped that this was something that he would eventually get use to for it seemed that whenever he walked into a room, it suddenly grew quiet. There was still sound and he realized it was coming from two females who were animatedly talking. Then the familiar scent of peonies hit him and for some reason he couldn't understand, he felt anticipation and curiosity. There was one he assumed was a Caucasian woman with yellowish hair, and just from glancing briefly he made a rough estimate that she was around 5'3" and weighed around 130 pounds. Then as he was about to evaluate the brunette next to her, he realized that it was the same young woman who he had seen at the library, she seemed to be of Hispanic descent but he couldn't be sure. She glanced at him in turn and it was the same look she had given him at the library; curiosity mixed with reluctance. This was something worth evaluating and for that purpose only; he chose to sit in front of her to examine her behavior further.

Class had been quite fascinating and he was satisfied with the fact that the Commander followed through the entire time as scheduled, and then he gave instructions to turn around and face the person behind him to do the first assignment. This was an excellent opportunity to gain more information and nothing more.  
>It was odd, for most humans were very expressive in their facial features of how they were feeling but this one in particular was hard to read, then she began to speak and she was actually very well spoken; odd and pleasantly surprising. The commander had said that they were all different; maybe this one wouldn't be so bad in comparison to the others he'd met so far.<p>

Once class was over he turned around and was ready to discuss a possible time to meet when he saw that she was looking over to where her fellow cadet was. He glanced over to the other and saw that she was much engaged with a young man who showed the same facial expression as he had seen earlier on bonded couples, and then he looked back over at the brunette and saw a flicker of annoyance, why should she be annoyed? He did not understand this, and now she was walking away, did she not remember that they were supposed to talk after class?

He walked hurriedly after her for even though she was rather small, she was quick, and by the looks of her calf muscles she was obviously either a runner or a dancer of some sort. Then she suddenly stopped and turned around and if it wasn't for his near perfect reflexes, he probably would've run in to her.  
>She looked quickly at him and then glanced away, again there was that reluctance but it was stronger now and it was curious how he found that he didn't want her to feel that way around him, maybe if he spoke she would ease up.<p>

I am Cadet K'Tiran and I am free most evenings after five thirty in the afternoon except on Mondays where I meet with Commander Spock, what day would be convenient for you?"

She looked up and almost immediately responded: "I am Cadet Santeiro and I enjoy walks along the beach, The letter Q, and anything containing chocolate, oh and I am free most evenings except on Friday, how about Tuesday?"

What? What does walks along the beach, and the letter Q have to do with anything? And what in the world is chocolate? Ah tomorrow is Tuesday and maybe then he could inquire about what she had said.

"Tuesday will work well, until then."

He nodded to indicate he was leaving and turned around to head to his dorm. He'd have to meditate before heading out to meet with the Commander, for some reason he was overcome with a sensation that was unlike anything he'd felt before.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Rosa was still watching the disappearing figure of K'Tiran when she felt the arm of her friend Hawkeye slap her on the shoulder. "Whatcha staring at?"

She said as she looked into the direction of where the Vulcan was. "Oh yeah.. sorry that you got paired up with him, did he say something that left you completely baffled or something?"

"No it's just that, it's weird to be working with someone who is the exact opposite of what you are."

"What do you mean?" Asked Hawkeye.

"Emotionally. I feel awkward and very uncertain about this whole thing, you wanna trade partners?"

"Fat chance, my partner is the cutest guy in our class."

"Yeah I know." Rosa said rolling her eyes. "When are you guys going to meet up?"

"Wednesday night at the library. You know, it really bites that we already have something so intense to work on and we just got here."

"Welcome to Starfleet" Rosa said with a playful smile.

"Yeah well, you wanna bake today before we have lend all our efforts to working and studying?"

"Absolutely, I'll meet you in the east building after dinner." Rosa said.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"So how did your first day as a cadet go?" Asked Commander Spock after he handed K'Tiran a cup of tea.

"Better than expected. I am starting to realize that what you say is true in regards to humans, they vary in personalities. I still need to get use to this."

"You will." Spock nodded. "Especially if you interact with them on a social level."

K'Tiran raised an eyebrow. "Is that something I need to do?"

"It is a suggestion, and you will find that some of them develop a sense of loyalty towards you once they consider you a friend."

"Do you do this commander?" K'Tiran asked, genuinely curious.

Spock allowed the side of his mouth to curl up in amusement before answering: "I do, but not with everyone, and like you I was reluctant at first but you will know with whom you can and can't do this with. Just give it time and have patience."

K'Tiran nodded. "I shall do this."

"Have you found someone to do the first assignment with?" Spock asked as he poured himself some more tea.

"I have, Cadet Santeiro."

"How do you find her so far?"

K'Tiran thought about this for a few seconds, and his mind kept going back to the times when she showed those looks of reluctance towards him.

"I think she is uncomfortable around me Commander."

"It is not uncommon for humans to display such emotion around those that they do not yet know. It might take some time."

He nodded again. "I understand, if the roles were reversed and if it were a human who were on Vulcan, I'm sure we wouldn't be so willing to spend time with them unless it served a purpose."

"That is a most logical way to view the situation. I have no doubt you will do well."

And in that moment, there was a knock on the door and Cadet Uhura came into the office a beautiful smile in place.

"Spock I.. " She began and then she realized he was not alone and her face changed drastically.

"Oh, excuse me commander, I'll come back later."

K'Tiran did not miss the look upon the Cadet's face nor the way she had initially addressed him so informally when she first arrived, but he did not comment on this. Instead, he put down his empty cup of tea and quickly rose out of his seat. "There is no need, I was just leaving."

Uhura and Spock exchanged glances as he was about to leave and the Commander quickly said: "K'Tiran this is my assistant cadet Uhura. I had asked her to come by in a quick last minute decision to help me with the schedules and grade planning but please free to come ready with any other questions you might have the following Monday.

K'Tiran looked at the Commander and then at the Cadet who looked like she was still in shock, why would his presence do that he wondered, but decided to leave it at that.

"I will, Thank you commander." K'Tiran said before he left.

Several seconds passed after K'Tiran left and both Uhura and Spock remained staring at each other.  
>Uhura was about to say something but Spock suddenly lunged forward and attacked her lips with his own. <p>


	4. Chapter 4

"Ok so mix the two cups of flour, and the Dutch cocoa with the baking soda and the half teaspoon of salt while I cream the eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla together." Hawkeye said as all of the ingredients were laid before them.

"So other than blonde wonder in our class, have you seen anyone else that might be a possible beau candidate?"  
>At this Hawkeye blushed and dropped her gaze.<p>

Rosa laughed, "But there is! Spill, who?"

Hawkeye looked uncomfortable suddenly and opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out. She tried again: "It's not a student."

"Is it Commander Spock?" Rosa asked with her eyes wide.

"Not him, but it is a Commander..."

"Who? No wait.. Commander Alda!"

When Hawkeye didn't respond and simply started cracking the eggs, Rosa let out of squeal and a laugh.  
>"Girl! Commander Alda is old enough to you your daddy!"<p>

Hawkeye smiled and said: "Maybe I want him to be."  
>They both laughed and continued to stir their ingredients. "He is a looker though, he's got that tall lean body, that silky hair and those amazing blue eyes, its a wonder he's not taken."<p>

"He's divorced actually." Hawkeye said without looking up.

Rosa finished sifting her ingredients and then looked over at her bowl. "How do you know so much?"

"I overheard him talking to his superior after class. He was asking to take an afternoon off to finalize things.

"I don't know girl, that sounds messy."

"Well it's not like I'm going to get involved with him, I just find him attractive is all; nothing more."

"Uh huh..." Rosa teased, and in a mimicking voice said: "Oh Commander Alda, I simply can't figure this out at all! Can I stay after class so you can explain it to me one on one.."

"Shut up! I would never say that!" Hawkeye said hotly.

"So how are things between you and larger than life, any plans to lasso him in?" That cut Rosa short and she simply stayed staring at Hawkeye.

"Where the heck did that even come from?"

"He's cute you know."

"Yes I do know, which is partly why I'm so uneasy around him."

"You're afraid aren't you?" Hawkeye hit it on the nail. Rosa wasn't scared, she was petrified of forming an attachment towards someone that wouldn't reciprocate them. It was why she was so reluctant with the idea of being around a Vulcan, he would never be able to understand her, he wouldn't be capable of empathy and those were things that were extremely important to her. The truth was she was very sensitive when it came to those things, which was probably why she avoided the whole relationship scenario since the ugly break up with her ex.

"I think you're thinking too much about this Rosa. Just try to be nice and do what feels right."

"I know, you're right." She said before lifting her bowl towards hers. "Ready to mix everything together now?"

"More than ready!" Hawkeye said with a smile. "This cake is going to be amazing!"

OoOoOoOoO

The following day K'Tiran opted to head out to the library instead of spending his lunch break in his dorm room. Since he'd have to meet Cadet Santeiro that evening, it wouldn't leave him much time to look over some information he wanted to find. As he got closer to the rows of books he took in a deep breath and it was unmistakably the scent of peonies; she was here. He really should've just gone back to what he had initially come for but he wanted to see if his hypothesis was correct. He walked very slowly amongst the rows of books and then suddenly saw her sitting on the floor in a most unlady like manner engrossed in a book.  
>She looked up suddenly and blinked hard a few times.<p>

"Hi" She said. "How are you?"

"I am well." Was all he replied.

She got up, book in hand and walked over to him. "If I'm not mistaken this is the second time I've seen you here, are you looking for something in particular? Maybe I can help you find it."

He raised an eyebrow for she was acting quite different from when he had come across her the past couple of times.

"I like to as you say, 'look around' there is nothing in particular I seek."

Then he looked down at the book she had in her hand, and following his gaze, she looked down and began to blush a bit. "I uh.. I enjoy cooking... A lot actually, and Yesterday Cadet Hawkeye and I made a cake that turned out really well so I couldn't help myself and came here to try to find other possible recipe's."

"So you feel enjoyment when you cook?"

Rosa smiled and nodded. "I personally do, not all humans do, there are actually some that detest it."

Out of curiosity Rosa asked: "Do you cook and if you do, do you feel anything while you are doing it?"

K'Tiran thought for a moment before answering as honestly as he could. "Feelings are not involved when I cook, I simply do it out of necessity for one has to eat in order to stay alive."

She should've known he would've replied something like that, and so she bowed her head slightly not really knowing what to say. For all she knew she had probably wasted his time in talking about something he had absolutely no interest in. Let's not forget that the Vulcans were a purpose driven people, so feeling somewhat defeated she stepped back slightly, her once smile now that look of reluctance.

"I'll leave you to your browsing then, excuse me." She said and quickly left.

He too turned around and went back to browsing in the section he was in Yesterday but something didn't sit well in the way his encounter with Cadet Santeiro had turned out just now.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Where are you headed?" Hawkeye asked as she walked with Rosa to their dorms.

"I need to drop off some stuff, and then I have to meet larger than life at the library." Rosa replied.

"Remember what I told you Yesterday."

"Oh I did when I ran into him today in the library earlier."

"What happened there?"

"Nothing other than brutal honesty about how Vulcans don't take pleasure in food preparation."

"Oh... I'm sorry." Hawkeye said sadly.

"Don't be. The only thing I'm focused on is completing our assignment and moving on to the next best thing."

"Speaking of next best thing, some people from my Universal Anatomy Class are meeting up on Friday night to play a dance game, we need one more person, I told them I'd ask you."

"Really? What kind of dancing?"

"All kinds. It'll be fun if anything cause I don't really know how to dance, but they'll have pizza and all kinds of refreshments there, and it'll be a chance to meet new people."

"Sure, I always tell people I'm busy on Friday's so that I can have some free time to myself but what you say sounds good, count me in."

OoOoOoOoO

Rosa arrived five minutes early so that she could pick out one of the tables before anyone else did but apparently she didn't have to for as soon as she walked in, she saw K'Tiran sitting by himself and writing at super fast speeds.  
>She put down her books in the space next to him, careful not to bump him accidentally in the process and sat down ungracefully without saying a word. He still was busy writing and had not even looked up at her so she opened her book and began working on the assignment by herself.<p>

After writing her first paragraph he stopped writing and looked beside him.

"Cadet Santerio, when did you arrive?"

She looked at him, blinked hard a few times and then laughed out loud. "Now that's what I call concentration!"

He gave her a confused look and she simply waved. "Nevermind; I've already started on the assignment."

She showed him what she had written and once he read and re-read what she wrote, he gave it back to her and said: "That is a satisfactory introduction, now we have to read chapters one through three so we can write down the key points of content."

"I already read the chapters, and I highlighted the key points." She pulled out her book and proceeded to show him what she had highlighted.

"It just has to be written in an organized manner and I think it'll be sufficient to turn in to Commander Spock."

K'Tiran raised an eyebrow and nodded. "It seems you did not need my assistance."

"I like to think that I'm pretty good when it comes to the written word, always have been, it's things like physics that turn me for a loop."

He looked at her and cleared his throat before asking: "How can physics turn you to a loop?"

She knew he'd ask that, and stifled a laugh when he did. "It's an expression that means the subject confuses me, and I honestly don't like it very much so my inclination to study it like I should isn't there."

"But you have to in order to succeed." He countered.

"Yes, I know." She said pinching the bridge of her nose to ward off an incoming headache.

"Are you ill?" He asked when he saw her do this.

"No, just have a headache, maybe talking about physics caused a chemical reaction in my brain to trigger pain, or it could be that I have not eaten since this morning."

"You need nourishment then, I do not have any at this time."

"It's ok, when we finish I'll cook something in my dorm, or just pick something up in the cafeteria."

"The cafeteria closes in six minutes and thirty seven seconds."

"Say that five times fast." Rosa said with a smile on her face and then laughed out loud when he again got that confused look on his face. "What purpose would that serve?"

"To amuse me."

He was about to say something when she held up a hand. "It was just a joke, you don't really have to do it."

"I have noticed however that many humans like to be amused."

"Very much so." Rosa replied while writing down the key points.

K'Tiran began doing the same and then remembered what she had said the day before. "So for what purpose do you walk along the beach, and why do you like the letter Q?"

Rosa looked up from her work trying to figure out what he was talking about when she remembered what she had said causing her to laugh again.  
>"I was nervous when I said that, but actually I really do like walking along the beach, it gives me a sense of peace, and having come from an island, the familiarity of the beach brings a sense of nostalgia if you will."<p>

"Why were you nervous?"

Rosa looked down and wasn't able to look at him. She could feel the intensity of his stare and it only made things worse when she answered. "I... I. am uncertain about how I should behave around you. I have never known a Vulcan before and I do not wish to do anything to offend you."

To this he said nothing for he wasn't expecting that as an answer, this was all so unfamiliar to him so the best solution was to say nothing at all.

There were several minutes of silence between them when he suddenly asked: "And what is chocolate?"

She looked up at him, for the first time allowing herself to take a really good look at him. Hawkeye may have said he was cute, but the truth was that he wasn't just cute, the man was hot!  
>He had perfectly smooth skin, dark eyes that you could stay staring at forever and his hair was so perfectly trimmed and shiny. She swallowed hard when she realized what she had done and then looked back at the table; she hoped he had not noticed.<p>

"Chocolate is actually a fruit that comes from the cacao tree. When the pods are plucked the seeds are removed and there is a long process in which they're roasted and combined with sugar and a type of butter to make the final product which is chocolate. You will find that many humans have a preference to it because when consumed it allows the release of a chemical in our brain called serotonin which gives the feeling of what some would describe as 'being in love' I personally wouldn't know but I do know that it makes me happy when I eat it, plus I enjoy the flavor; I eat it almost every day."

"That is of extreme interest." He replied. "And where would one get a hold of such consumption?"

She smiled and looked up at him. "If we get a good grade on the assignment we turn in, I'll make something with chocolate to celebrate."

He raised an eyebrow and continued to write. He did not object so Rosa assumed that that was his way of saying he was in agreement. Curious how she was starting to figure out how he worked and maybe spending time with him wouldn't be so bad after all.


	5. Chapter 5

"So today's the day you meet up with blonde wonder?" Rosa said as Hawkeye sat in front of her in the cafeteria.  
>She looked down and frowned slightly.<p>

"He cancelled, said he had something of higher priority in another class that was going to take up most of his day."

"Yeah like working with boobs on a stick." Rosa replied while looking behind Hawkeye.

Hawkeye looked at Rosa and then turned around behind her only to see the guy she had partnered up with walking around with a super skinny chick with a well endowed chest smiling and winking at him.

Rosa could actually see Hawkeye's reaction change from surprised, to shocked, and finally to anger.  
>"It freaking figures!" Hawkeye said angrily. "Men are so stupid! Did he not think we'd all see him in the cafeteria parading around with her? Higher priority my a..."<p>

"May I join you all for mid day consumption?" A voice interrupted.

Rosa blinked then looked up to find larger than life looming above them. Rosa smiled and quickly moved down the row. "Sure, please sit down." She looked up at Hawkeye and saw she was blushing madly, and looking off to the side where blonde wonder and boobs on a stick were sitting down at the table across from them. Rosa could actually hear her growling slightly.

K'Tiran could obviously tell that Hawkeye was out of sorts from the way he was looking at her, and then Rosa kicked her from under the table and signaled at him with her eyes. "OH! Hi Cadet K'Tiran, how has your day been so far?"  
>He was about to answer when Hawkeye continued talking: "Oh I've been meaning to ask you, are men on Vulcan two timing ignorant gits that can't get their lies straight when it comes to lust towards a female?"<p>

Rosa choked on her drink and while coughing, quickly reached for one of the cheap paper napkins starfleet supplied the cafeteria with.

"Because human men totally suck!" She said angrily as she got up and stormed out of the cafeteria.

Rosa stared wide-eyed after her and then back at K'Tiran who merely just raised an eyebrow before looking over at Rosa and saying : "I take it she is not in the best of spirits today."

Rosa stifled a laugh, even though he was probably not aware of it; the way he said the last statement was actually pretty funny.  
>"I apologize; I'll be right back. I'm just going to make sure she's ok." Rosa said before getting up and going after her.<br>She was at the entrance of the cafeteria when she broke out in a full run and once she got to the outside it was as if Hawkeye had disappeared for there was no sign of her. Rosa looked around and sighed loudly before going back inside. She walked over and stood next to the purse that she hadn't even bothered to take with her.  
>K'Tiran was still there eating calmly as if nothing had happened. Rosa looked over to where blonde wonder was but they had apparently already left so Rosa sat down where Hawkeye had been before.<p>

K'Tiran looked up but said nothing and waited for Rosa to speak. "I don't know where she ran off to, I will have to take these things for her."

"You look as if you are upset as well." He said.

"No, I'm just worried about her."

"You are afraid that her life is in danger?"

Rosa smirked and sighed loudly. "No Cadet K'Tiran, I don't like it when my friends are hurting emotionally, it makes me feel bad because there is nothing I can do to remedy the situation."

He raised an eyebrow but went back to eating.

She looked over at his plate and asked: "What are you eating anyway?"

"Something called vegetable penne pasta."

"Do you like it?"

"It is palatable."

"Do you miss the food from your world?"

"The manner in which you state it implies that I have an emotional attachment towards consumption which I don't."

"So there isn't a food you like more than another?" She couldn't believe that he didn't feel absolutely nothing while he ate.

"I do have preferences, yes."

"And what are they?" He looked up suddenly confused by her question. Nobody had ever asked him that on Vulcan, food was food and that was it, it didn't matter whether you liked it or not, and here on earth well... The only people he ever really talked to so far was Commander Spock and Cadet Santeiro, but to Rosa it seemed like she had said something that wasn't up for discussion so she quickly put her hands up in front of her and said. "It's ok, you don't have to answer, it's none of my business."

"I was going to answer Cadet Santeiro that it is a green leafy vegetable called Leik'tar which grows near the few water springs that exist on Vulcan. It is high in nutritional content and is filling, and it is palatable."

Rosa was starting to figure out that palatable for him meant that he actually liked it. She smiled and said: "I wonder if it is similar to what we have here called watercress, have you tried that before?"

"I have not."

"It grows on the banks of rivers and it high in nutritional content as well, and I personally like it very much, I actually eat it almost every day."

"I have not seen it here in the cafeteria."

"and you probably never will, it is found in Spanish and Asian specialty shops."

"And you are of Spanish background?"

"I come from an island that was inhabited by native Indians and then the Spaniards came to conquer the land and brought along their African American slaves and then everyone just kind of started breeding with one another and before you stands the finished product of three races mixed together."

He raised an eyebrow and then asked: "But you all look different, and you in particular look predominately more of Spaniard descent."

"Sure, through out the many years humans interbreed with other species and in my case Spanish is the predominant one."

"So you speak the language?"

"Yes."

"And they eat this watercress you speak of?"

"Quite a lot since there are so many rivers on the island, I grew up eating it and continue to do so today. Plus there is a story about a man who was miraculously cured of a deadly disease by eating it every day, and I think that has inspired people to consume it, but I will save that for another day since I need to head out."

He looked up and couldn't believe how fast time had gone by. "Yes, I must leave as well."

Rosa got up and grabbed her things as well as throwing Hawkeye's bag over her shoulder. She turned around and waved at him. "See you in class." and then she was gone leaving K'Tiran still gathering his things and thinking that he was most definitely going to have to meditate later.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Cadet Hawkeye slumped against the wall after she had finally ran a good distance and she let the tears she had been holding spill down her face.  
>She knew it was silly since she hardly knew Cadet Howell (AKA Blonde wonder) and they had only spoken a few times. It just seemed that during those few times there was such chemistry between them, how could she have been wrong about something that seemed so right?<p>

She wiped her face with her hands and realized that she had stormed out of the cafeteria without her purse, and had erupted her anger on a Vulcan in the process.  
>"Great, just fricken great!" She said and kicked one of the trash bins so hard that it banged loudly onto the floor.<p>

"WOAH! Soccer try outs are Thursday night." Someone said from behind her.

She turned around, apology on the tip of her tongue when she saw who it was and then she couldn't say anything at all for it was Commander Alda.

"Oh uhh.. Commander I... " She said wiping her face.

His face changed from joking to serious in an instant. "What happened, are you alright?"

Hawkeye blushed and went to pick up the trash bin. "I'm fine just uh... I got a little carried away with my frustrations." She admitted.

"Well I can sympathize with that but believe me that taking it out on a trash bin will not solve the issue, but that was a really good kick there, do you play soccer?"

Hawkeye gave him a deer in the head lights look, what the heck was he even talking about?

"I ask because Starfleet has allowed me to form a non-formal soccer team, you know we'll have a few games here and there, just to break out of the work, work, work mode once in a while. We could use someone like you, tryouts are tomorrow at so will you consider coming out?"

Hawkeye's heart was beating so fast she could feel it in her throat and since she didn't dare speak she simply nodded.

"Good! I'll see you then Cadet, try not to kick any more trash bins."

Hawkeye never once blinked as she watched the sparkle of his blue eyes and the curve of his lips as he smiled. What the heck was his now ex wife thinking when she let this hunk of a man go?  
>She sighed and turned around, she needed to go back to the cafeteria and get her purse and if larger than life was still there, she'd apologize for her behavior too. <p>


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok, so as you've probably noticed; A lot of the scenarios revolve around food, and you can thank the upcoming season along with watching Julie & Julia way too many times. Plus I note that in reality, food brings people together so why not in the story?  
>Thanks for your comments, I didn't think I'd get any reviews to be perfectly honest since the main characters are made up, it really is just for fun and like I said before, you will run into errors which I may or may not go back and fix, depends on my mood.<strong>

**Soccer info was taken from howtoplaysoccer . com so if something is wrong, blame them; not me :o)**

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

"So how are things with the new Cadet from Vulcan, do you think he's settled in alright?" Uhura asked Spock while they ate. Every now and again they'd wander far from campus and dine at a restaurant where the chances of them being seen from someone at Starfleet are less likely, and even on the chance that they did; Uhura was sure that Spock had a couple of really good logical reasonings for why it would be of a professional level only.

"I believe that he is faring well. I have instructed him to socialize with humans so that he can quickly learn and adapt."

"Who is he socializing with?" Uhura asked as she forked some lettuce from her salad.

"I do not know, and I have not asked recently."

"My roommate Gaila tells me that she has a class with him, she seems to find him attractive, but finds he is unwavering from his studies."

To this Spock said nothing but Uhura saw a twinge of something in his face and then it was confirmed when he asked: "And you, what is your opinion of him?"

"I have not yet taken a good look at him Commander for my mind is engaged elsewhere." She smiled and slowly lifted her free hand to cover his.  
>Spock remained expressionless but he gently squeezed her hand in response before letting go and returning to his food.<p>

"You may want to inform your room mate that it is 94.7 percent unlikely that Cadet K'Tirans focus should waver from anything other than completing his education at Starfleet. Even though he is to interact with others, it is merely for the sake of learning on a one on one basis."

"So you're pretty much telling me that I should tell Gaila to let it go and move on to someone else."

"That would be advisable, yes."

Uhura nodded. "That makes sense, after all he is fully Vulcan which…" Uhura was going to continue but then stopped for fear that she might offend Spock. He probably wouldn't admit it, but she knew that at least his human half would feel some kind of resentment.

Spock raised an eyebrow when she didn't finish and then cleared his throat. "Which means he is far better capable of purging emotion than I would, so it is extremely unlikely that he should form any sort of attachment to anyone while he is here on earth."

Uhura smiled and said: "You said it, not me."

Spock looked around to make sure no one was looking before the side of his mouth curved up into what might be called a half smile. For some reason Uhura suddenly had an incredible urge to get back on campus and away from the public eye, and as soon as she felt this, Spock raised his hand in the air to the waiter and said: "We Require Our Check Please!"

OoOoOoOoOoO

Hawkeye was almost at the entrance of the cafeteria when Rosa suddenly burst out with her purse in her hand.  
>"I was looking for you but I couldn't find you anywhere, what happened?"<p>

Rosa was a bit nervous considering the emotional outburst Hawkeye had had earlier but now she was smiling from ear to ear.

"I'm going to be on the soccer team!" She exclaimed happily.

"You're going to what? Ho.. hold on a sec, can we back track please? Where did that even come from?"

Hawkeye turned around and grabbed Rosa by the shoulders giving her another huge smile before she said: "I gotta go practice!"

"But we have class in less than ten minutes!" She called out to her for she was already walking away.

"I know!" She yelled without looking back.

Rosa sighed and turned around when suddenly someone smacked right into her causing her to drop her books. She gasped out loud due to the shock and then immediately went to make sure the person that had run into her was alright.

"Are you alright?" She asked the young brown haired young man, but he did not answer and instead he flashed her a furious look before getting back up again and yelling: "Why don't you watch where you're going!"

"If you had done the same you wouldn't have run into me just now, forget I even asked." Rosa said hotly before she turned around and walked away.

The young man raked his hair with his hands as he exhaled deeply. He didn't mean to say that, but everything had been going so wrong for him since day one, and now his girlfriend six months was in some kind of a bind that he felt powerless against and the only way he could get any sort of release was by arguing with her or anyone that he got a hold of.

He looked over and saw the disappearing form of Rosa, making a mental note to track her down later around campus and apologize.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Commander Alda blew the whistle while holding the soccer ball in his hand. He twirled it around his index finger like you would a basketball before it toppled over and he kicked it up with his left foot and he grabbed it quickly again with his one hand.  
>Cadet Hawkeye sighed as she watched him. <em>He's so talented, at everything he does! <em>She thought.

"SO! We're all here today because we're going to form an unofficial team, but we still need to have you all try out and since there is a good lot of you here, we might end up having to form two teams.  
>I need to get a feel for how the formation will be so I want everyone to form into one line and then each of you will come running up one at a time to try and kick the soccer ball into the goal. Commander Getsu has graciously volunteered to be our keeper so you'll have to try and get it past him."<p>

All of the sudden a figure that was probably seven feet tall and weighed around three hundred pounds stepped out into the clearing. His orange skin contrasting to the green grass in a manner that made him seem even more intimidating. Cadet Hawkeye swallowed hard and for the first time began to feel nervous, so nervous in fact that she didn't even realize that Commander Alda had been scanning the group of cadets and smiled slightly when his eyes finally fell on her.

"Ok, so let's get started and remember to keep the line going so if you fail to make the goal, just get back in line, and those of you who do manage to make the goal will form a group here where I'm standing. Everyone clear?" He asked and looked around, and it seemed as if everyone understood for nobody said anything, so he nodded and then blew on his whistle. "GO!"

And so it began where each cadet ran up and tried with all their effort to get the ball into the goal and try as they might, each and every time Commander Getsu leaped through the air with such reflexes that by the time half of the people had gone up to kick the ball, nobody had been successful.

Hawkeye was concentrating and observing how most people seemed to be so focused on being fast that it blinded them of what might be a weakness in Commander Getsu. He was impressive though; he was some kind of soccer ball fetching machine, she would hate to be up against someone like him in an actual game.  
>There were only three people ahead of her now and she had blocked her thoughts out of everything else around her. All that mattered at this moment was trying to outsmart Getsu with technique instead of speed.<p>

Commander Alda watched as she was getting closer and now it was her turn, she ran up to the ball and made like she was going to give it a great big kick towards the left but when her foot actually touched the ball, it was so soft that the ball barely moved but it was too late for Commander Getsu had already dove to the left and was about to land on the ground when Hawkeye quickly kicked it as hard as she could to the right and the ball effectively went in to the goal.

Everyone cheered and began crowding around her yelling and whooping: "You show em girl!YEAH!"  
>But it was interrupted by the whistle of Commander Alda.<p>

"Alright, alright, let's calm down everybody, back to your places. Cadet Hawkeye, you come over here with me please."

Hawkeye was still smiling slightly when she walked over to where he was, making sure to stand a good distance away from him; it simply wouldn't do to be too close. The rush of adrenaline had been known to have her do things that she later came to regret.

Commander Alda said nothing while they watched the rest of the cadets try to mimic her style. He didn't even congratulate her and she tried hard not to feel disappointed.  
>She watched him every now and again from the corner of her eye and saw that his full attention was on the cadets. She sighed loudly and crossed her arms in front of her chest.<br>She was foolish to think he'd ever see her as anything other than a Cadet, She needed to just get that whole romantic notion that concerned him out of her mind.

_  
><em> 


	7. Chapter 7

**I wanted to update sooner but I'm afraid I'm a bit on lazy mode since I'll be on vacation till 2012.. anyway here is another chapter.**

**I own nothing, and the idea for the dance game comes from, wouldn't you guess, the Just dance games that are oh so awesome.**

"So how was soccer yesterday, did you make the team?" Rosa asked Hawkeye as they walked towards their afternoon class.

"I wont know till next week, but I think my chances are pretty good." Hawkeye responded.

"That's great; I think it'll be good to get your mind focused on something other than school and guys that are liars and cheats." Rosa said with a smile on her face.

"Don't remind me.. I still have to apologize to what's his face. Was he upset after I…" Hawkeye looked at the face Rosa was making before her words died. "That's right, well; that's one good thing about hooking up with a Vulcan, you'd never have to worry about him being angry or upset or whatever, they always just seem to be so ambivalent about everything."

Rosa didn't respond to this, and after a while she asked. "So are we still doing that dance thing tonight?"

Hawkeye's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that, don't forget that we're meeting at the recreation center, and bring comfortable clothes you don't mind sweating up, but don't come looking bummy either cause there's a couple of people I'd like for you to meet."

Rosa nodded. "Ok, then I'll see you then."

OoOoOoOoO

Rosa had totally ransacked her entire small room. It seemed like nothing would do for the occasion tonight. It was a good thing that her roommate was not there, the place was a mess. After sighing loudly in frustration, Rosa combed through her hair with her fingers and roughly tied her hair in her usual ponytail.

"Forget this, I'm just wearing a t-shirt and pants and if they don't like it that's too damn bad!"  
>She said as she struggled to put on her pants and almost toppled over in the process.<p>

_I wonder who's gonna be there _she wondered but then shrugged and went about cleaning up the mess she made. After the room looked back to normal she grabbed a jacket and made her way out of the dorms and into the recreation area, the figure that approached her was unmistakable.

"K'Tiran, what's brings you walking about at this hour? She asked with a smile on her face.

"The library is not open as late on Friday's it seems; I have just left and am on my way to my dorm room."

He looked at her attire and at the jacket she held in her hand before looking her in the eyes again. "I take it you are leaving campus?"

"No, I'm going to the recreation center, there's going to be a group of people doing some kind of dance game and I couldn't pass up the opportunity."

If K'Tiran could smile he probably would have, he knew she was either a dancer or a runner.

"Then I shall not keep you." He said as he slightly nodded and then was off on his way.  
>Rosa wondered if K'Tiran did anything recreational apart from going to the library, did Vulcans even know what it meant to have a good time? She shrugged and kept walking for she was determined to have a good time herself.<p>

Rosa walked in and Hawkeye immediately handed her a water winking and saying "just drink it." Before walking off and introducing her to everyone there, she smiled and was shaking hands with everyone and then she saw him; the rude guy that had bumped into her that one day when Hawkeye had spazzed out over blonde wonder.

She remained somewhat serious as she shook his hands. "Cadet Santeiro." Was all she said before his eyes grew wide.

"You're that girl! I meant to tell you how extremely sorry I am for that day! Oh my.. I mean.. That was one hell of a day! My then girlfriend and I had an argument because she thought I was jealous of this guy, and I said 'If you think that then you never really knew me' and I mean…. She should because we've been going steady for over six months now" He said as he smacked his forehead with his hand. Rosa on the other hand didn't seem all that convinced and lifted an eyebrow before turning away as quickly as possible, she could already tell that this guy was a drama queen, she didn't need that in her life. She was about to turn to Hawkeye when he got her attention again.

"Listen, where are my manners? I'm sorry about the other day and the name is Cadet Wingenfeld, John Wingenfeld."

Rosa gave him a small smile and nodded. "It's all forgotten." She was about to turn around again when he started talking. "Listen, you wouldn't happen to have any advice on women huh? I mean… I really need to have a woman's perspective on how to get things right with the previous lady I mean, I'm not ready for things to be over between us and.."

Rosa blinked hard a few times and said: "Excuse me?"

He gave a nervous laugh. "I know we barely know each other but you just seem so approachable, has that ever happened? Where you've met someone and you just have this feeling you can tell them anything?"

"No" Rosa responded, and before he could go off on a tirade again she lifted her hands in front of her.

"Listen, it looks like the dance game is about to start, so uh.. maybe we can talk about this later?" She didn't wait for him to respond when she said: "Good, I'll see you later."

She ran off and joined a small group that was congregated in front of a large screen. Apparently this was based off of a game that was popular during the 21st century.  
>You were to hold a controller that was ridiculously small and could be strapped around your wrist, it monitored all of your movements almost one hundred percent accurately, and as they began to play the first couple of songs, Rosa really started getting into it.<br>Eight songs later and people were looking at Rosa in awe because she just didn't seem to tire.

When she finally took a break, Hawkeye was there with yet another water and said: "I told you you'd need it."

"This is a lot of fun." Rosa said slightly out of breath and wiping the sweat off her brow.

"Yeah, and it brings people together, I could see this becoming a regular thing."

There was more dancing, and then they took another break when the pizza finally arrived and then after it was nearing midnight, they all decided to call it a night.

"So whatcha gonna do now?" Hawkeye asked as she was still eating her pizza, the fourth slice if Rosa wasn't mistaken.

"I am going to take a shower because I have sweat through this entire shirt and I probably stink to high heaven. I'm glad I decided to wear black, nobody could tell."

"I saw that Wingenfeld guy couldn't take his eyes off of you Tonight, and I saw you talking to him in the beginning."

"Yeah, so?"

"So? Could he be a possible beau?"

"Please, he was asking advice on how to get back with his ex."

Hawkeyes eyes went wide. "He did what?"

"You heard it, doesn't even know who the heck I am and already he's asking advice on something so personal, I tell you; I will never understand the opposite sex no matter what world they're from."

Hawkeye lifted an eyebrow and said: "Touche" before finishing the last of her pizza slice.

"So do you have plans to meet up with larger than life again?"

"What for?"

"For the project in Spock's class of course."

"We already finished."

"What? Already?"

"Yup."

"Wait.. he didn't.. did you have him do all the work? Why Cadet Santeiro; you sly dog!"

"Actually…" She interrupted. "I did most of it. I know that sounds odd especially with the reputation most Vulcans seem to have at being nothing but know it all brainiacs."

"Wow, was he impressed?"

Rosa laughed. "You forget that this is Vulcan we're dealing with, even if he were he probably wouldn't say anything."

"That's too bad, he's so cute too, I think you guys would make an awesome couple but from what you tell me and from what I have read up on regarding Vulcans it seems that all he will be focused on is completing his goal to graduate from Starfleet, besides, he's probably already got someone back home."

"What do you mean?" Rosa asked, why did this statement suddenly affect her so much?

Hawkeye stopped for a moment and looked at her like she should know this already. "Didn't you ever study up on customs Vulcans have? You know about that 'thing' they get every seven years so they're automatically bonded with someone at an early age; he's gotta have someone already."

The truth was that Rosa did remember having read up on something like that in an introduction to world beings around the galaxy class she took but it wasn't until now that she associated that possibility with K'Tiran.

"Wow I…so I'd be wasting my time in assuming anything other than cadet acquaintanceship were to happen."

Hawkeye patted her on the back. "I'm afraid so girlie."

Rosa nodded. "You'd probably be right in that assumption, as well as assuming he's only got his sight on graduating. Even as I was walking over here earlier today, he was coming from the library, saying that he would've stayed longer if they didn't have shorter hours on Friday's."

"All work and no play, that's gotta suck.. I mean.. even to a Vulcan, doesn't that eventually take it's toll?"

Rosa nodded. "I honestly don't know, you keep forgetting they're not like us."

"Well, anyway; you have yourself a good night, maybe we can meet up in the afternoon; I've got some grocery shopping I have to do."

"Yeah me too, I'm out of watercress, and chocolate."

Hawkeye smiled. "Out of chocolate? Then we definitely have to go grocery shopping then!"

Hawkeye walked away bouncy and happy as ever, meanwhile Rosa walked back to her dorm feeling an emptiness she could not explain.


	8. Chapter 8

**Yes, I'm talking about food again in the story. Banh mi is a type of Vietnamese sub, and OH SO TASTY! Seriously! My mouth is watering just writing about it!**

**Thanks again to those of you who are genuinely enjoying it and add constructive, afterthoughts.  
>:o)<strong>

K'Tiran was having a hard time meditating.  
>This was his third attempt at reaching a state of absolute mental control but it wasn't working for as soon as he closed his eyes, his senses would be engulfed by the smell of peonies. Why? This was by far the most ridiculous thing that had ever happened to him before. This had never been an issue on Vulcan, and he blamed it on being around humans all of the time. If he didn't watch himself he was liable to even start comporting the way they did and that simply was not acceptable. Yet Commander Spock had been the one to tell him that it would do him good to socialize with humans. How did he handle it? The man is half human for goodness sake, and he seems to have tight control over himself, how was that even possible?<p>

Frustrated, K'Tiran banged on a small table that held his incense and the impact was so hard that it broke into pieces and sent the incense flying through the air. He took in a deep breath and after picking up his mess, he stood in the middle of his room for a moment.  
>Maybe taking a stroll in the night air would do him good. Humans seemed to partake in an activity they called: "Taking a break." In order to clear their minds, he would try this.<p>

He wanted to stay in his robes but instead opted to wear the human clothing he had purchased so that he wouldn't stand out. It had been some what difficult to get clothing his size; he ended up having to go to what they called a "Specialty shop".  
>Even though it was late, he expected there would still be people wandering around; apparently this was a common custom on Friday's.<p>

He was nearing the recreation center when the scent hit him, but it wasn't the usual peonies he smelled. It was that combined with sweat and other bodily juices. It was so strong that he was able to smell it even from where he stood.  
>The smell should've made him turn away, he should've kept walking; but instead he found that he was walking closer to the center, all the while breathing in deeply. The double doors were wide open affording a good view of various groups of people inside dancing.<p>

He had to admit that the music despite it being unlike anything he had ever heard before was not unpleasant, and then he saw her. Cadet Santeiro was there, dancing. A couple of people were clapping and cheering her on. She had some kind of strap around her wrist and every time she made a movement, the screen would flash in bright green or sometimes blue colors. It was so hypnotic to see her move in such a way, he had never thought he would ever see her like this nor that seeing her would have such an effect on him for he could feel himself perspiring, and he was breathing harder. There was a sensation pulsing throughout his body and he quickly turned and fled from the building, instantly regretting having ever left his room. It was a mistake, but that didn't change the fact that he had had a most undesired effect from having seen Cadet Santeiro in such a state. He had made up his mind in that moment that keeping a safe distance from her would be a wise decision.

OoOoOoOoO

"So what's your favorite kind of chocolate?" Rosa asked Hawkeye as they were browsing by the isle that was totally dedicated to chocolate.

"I'm a sucker for peppermint bark, sadly though it only seems to be available during the holidays."

"I know what you mean." Rosa said as she picked up a bag. "Throughout the rest of the year you only really find the mint center one's like this." She said holding up the silver bag.

"But you know." Hawkeye said as she took it from her. "I have a really good recipe for this type of candy. Imagine this sandwiched in between a brownie."

Rosa's eyes lit up. "Yum! A minty brownie!"

"Exactly." Hawkeye said as she put the bag in her basket, we'll have to do that next time we bake.

After they checked out of the store, they stopped by an Asian market and got some items but Rosa mainly wanted to get her watercress. As she picked it up, she remembered the conversation she had with K'Tiran and got an extra couple of bundles.

Rosa and Hawkeye picked up some Banh mi sandwiches on the way out and sat down on a couple of chairs outside to eat them.

"What's that you're drinking?" Asked Hawkeye as she saw Rosa was struggling to get her drink to open.

"These damn things, I can never get it right.. oh.. there we go." She said as she began to drink the blue liquid in the glass bottle.

"This is Ramune, A friend of mine introduced me to this and pocky, so I pick one up whenever I happen to see it."

"So uhh.. Do you normally buy that much watercress? That sure is a lot, you got like five bundles!"

"Well I honestly eat about a bundle a day, and two of them are for K'Tiran."

Hawkeyes eyes lit up playfully. "Oooooooo K'Tiran!" She then proceeded to make kissy noises before she became serious. "Rosa, you're not really falling for this guy are you? I mean.. I don't want to see you get hurt or anything."

"No.. I'm not, it's just a kind gesture." Rosa said while rubbing her forehead.

"Something like that could never happen, it would be way too complicated and far too much drama than what I need in my life right now." Which Rosa did believe but this particular subject fell under the category of: "It's easier said than done." She didn't tell this to Hawkeye though.

"At any rate, we should head back; I need to get some other errands done, and need to work on some assignments."

Hawkeye nodded and they were on their way. It wasn't much of a walk to get back on Campus and Rosa was true to her word for as soon as she got back, she set about cleaning her side of the dorm room, as well as worked on her assignment before deciding that now would be a good time as any to give K'Tiran the watercress.

She couldn't understand why she was so nervous; it was just K'Tiran after all. Yet why did it feel so odd? It was easy to find out which room was his after having looked at the building's mail slots. His was the 11th room on the first floor.

She took a deep breath before knocking softly on the door. She waited a while but nothing happened.  
>She knocked again, this time louder, and still; nothing. She sighed loudly having resigned to him not being in his room, and simply left the bag that contained his bundles of watercress hanging on the door knob. He'd know it was from her, and hopefully he'd find it at least some what "palatable."<p>

OoOoOoOoO

Hawkeye was on the way to the library, she needed to get more information on a project she was currently working on and the open space appealed to her in comparison to the cramped dorm room she had to share.

After she found her books, she sat on the table and got to work.

She wasn't aware of how much time had passed, but slowly people began to leave, and she thought for sure that she was probably the only one left in the library when she looked up and saw that there wasn't a person in sight. She should probably do the same for she was so tired. If only she could rest her eyes for a minute, and as she thought this, her eyes began to close on their own but then suddenly snapped open when someone unceremoniously sat down in front of her. She was about to say something but his black uniform gave him away instantly; it was Commander Alda.

"Take to sleeping in the library often?" He said with a smirk on his face.

Hawkeye rubbed the side of her cheek, hoping to hide the flush she knew was on her face.  
>"I was working on an assignment for your class actually."<p>

"And it put you to sleep? For shame! I obviously need to assign something more challenging!"

Hawkeye put her hand up in the air. "It's not that believe me. It's the fact that it _IS_ so challenging that I've been here almost all afternoon."

"Oh dear, that wont do." Commander Alda said with some concern. "I mean, I need to have the captain of the newly formed soccer team ready for anything!"

Hawkeye blinked hard a few times before laughing, "Are you serious commander? Am I really?"  
>He nodded and stood from the table.<br>"So get out of here and get some rest, you're going to need come next week."

He flashed her smile and then he was gone, leaving Hawkeye practically squealing with delight. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Yes.. the name comes from a character in Naruto :oP**

A week had gone by and Rosa was at a loss. What could she have done that had offended cadet K'Tiran so badly? She realized she was probably exaggerating with him feeling such an emotion but she knew for certain that he had changed towards her.  
>He had never mentioned anything about the watercress she had left him, and if she hadn't approached him after class and asked if he had received it, she would've never known he had gotten it.<p>

"I did, I thank you." Was all he said before he had turned and left leaving her looking after him in a confused manner…. Which had her questioning why he no longer sat in front of her, he now sat at the very first row on the corner and never once looked back. His whole concentration was towards what commander Spock instructed them to do and that was it.  
>He no longer joined her in the cafeteria, she no longer bumped into him in the library, it was almost as if he was avoiding her.<p>

She knew she shouldn't push it, but for some reason she didn't want to lose his friendship.. If you could even call it that… but she didn't like that he had just dropped off the radar so suddenly, he seemed like a genuinely nice guy despite the emotionless factor.

One day after class, she let Hawkeye know that she'd catch up with her later and waited for him to walk by. When she saw that he was approaching, she turned and acted like she was looking over the assignment they had done together and as he was walking in front of her she looked up and was about to pull him back to get his attention but as her hand extended, she quickly dropped it knowing that would be a very bad idea.

"Cadet K'Tiran, If I could trouble you for a moment." She said as she walked very quickly in order to catch up with his long strides.

"It's no trouble, but I am in a hurry." He said.

Rosa took a deep breath and momentarily forgot what she was even going to say, she suddenly felt extremely nervous and regretted having done this in the first place.

"Did you get your results back?" She asked finally and looked up at him to find that his eyes were black, and lifelessly staring back at her, and she couldn't explain it but she could feel the reluctance on his part, which she had never felt. If anything it had always been her who was reluctant and she had to admit that it wasn't pleasant to be on the receiving end of it.

"I have." He finally said.

And when she saw that his expression stayed the same and he said nothing else. She bowed her head down feeling the severity of the situation. "Ok, I wont take up any more of your time."

She turned quickly and left trying to fight back the sting she felt in her eyes. She knew when she wasn't wanted, and she wasn't one to chase after a guy or anyone for that matter that showed disinterest in her company. It was a pity that things ended so abruptly and she still wondered what she had done wrong, but if he didn't want her company then she'd leave him alone; he need not worry about her anymore.

OoOoOoOoO

You have been doing well Cadet K'Tiran; I trust that you've had no trouble in regards to your other courses of study?" Spock asked as they were seated for their weekly meeting.

"I am doing well. Some classes are more challenging than others but I welcome this."

"I noticed that you changed your seating routine. Is there any particular reason why you have done this?"

K'Tiran hid the jolt he felt at that moment perfectly from Spock. Something of such a personal matter surely shouldn't be discussed, even if he was the only one of his world he could hold a conversation with.

"I am better able to absorb the information that is given in my new seating arrangement." Spock raised an eyebrow and took a sip of his tea.

"Speaking of absorbing information. If you are willing, Commander Patel is designing a new program called the Horochi-maru, it will test the skills of cadets and will allow us to see whether they're prepared to work in space under certain pressures and situations that might arise.  
>Would you be amendable to helping with this process?"<p>

K'Tiran nodded. "I would be amendable to it yes."

Spock nodded. "If this proves to be a success and is in fact used in the future as a testing method; it will look very good on your future references, especially since this is just your first year. I will talk to the commander and inform you of the start date."  
>Spock waited to see if K'Tiran had anything else to add, but he remained there looking as expressionless as ever.<p>

"So if there is nothing else Cadet, you are free to leave when you wish."

K'Tiran did not delay as he quickly rose out of his chair and nodded towards Spock. "I thank you Commander."

Meditating had become easy once again, and he fell into a routine of only leaving his dorm room when he had classes and every now and again when he needed to buy nourishment, other then that he could very well be categorized as a recluse. He knew that Cadet Santeiro could sense something was wrong for she had tried to get his attention several times, but the last time after class he could just tell from the look on her face that she probably would not attempt it again, and he was right for she no longer sought him out nor waited for him after classes.

There was one time where he was on his way to class and she was walking on the opposite way and she didn't even look at his direction, she kept on going as if he didn't even exist and he had to admit that in that moment; it did not sit well with him. He was tempted to converse with her, to tell her that he was grateful that she had told him and introduced him to watercress for he now bought it and consumed it almost daily, but he quickly pushed it out of his mind. He had to concentrate on important matters and anything having to do with her would just get in the way.

OoOoOoOoO

Rosa was sitting in the library by herself studying for the class she hated the most; Astro-physics when she heard the chair across from her screech and she knew right away who it was without even looking up.

"This better be good Wingenfeld because I need to finish this assignment before the library closes tonight."

As if not even listening to what she said; John folded his hands on the table and started babbling. "So my girlfriend still thinks that I'm too overprotective of her, but she doesn't see that there's a guy in her class who is totally flirting with her, so what am I supposed to do? Just sit back and.."

"Woah, Woah, woah! Wingenfeld!" Rosa said holding up her hand to his face.  
>She then proceeded to dig in her bag and pulled out a small sandwich container which she popped the top off first before waving it in front of him."<p>

"I require payment before you go off on one of your tangents and expect an answer."

He sighed loudly and began digging through his pockets. "Really Santeiro? You won't even let me have a freebie?"

"I give you freebies all the time. Recall the occasion where you wanted to know why people were laughing at you and it was because you had pink socks on."

"Oh yeah.. I've never let my roommate do laundry after that!"

She waved the container. "Pay up! Or no advice."

He then grumbled and dumped a chocolate bar in her container. Rosa smiled and put the lid on the container and put it away in her bag.

"You may continue." Rosa said as she went back to her assignment.

"Are you kidding me? You're not even listening!"

"I am listening! I listen best when I'm multi-tasking." She said as she scribbled something on her paper.

As expected, John went on and on about his jealousy and his girlfriend and she really wanted to tell him that she couldn't give him a straight answer unless she heard both sides of the story. One person could very easily describe their version to make them seem like the victim but she knew that he wouldn't go for that, especially since he had already given payment.

"You need to back off and let her deal with it." Rosa said while still not looking up at him.

"What that's it? That's your advice?"

"What did you want me to say? Go in there and be her knight in shining armor? First of all, why would you have to do that at all if you have a solid relationship with her? She should be able to stick up for herself and you, the fact that she isn't doing it says a lot about where the two of you stand relationship-wise"

John was about to open his mouth when Rosa stood up and began to put her things away.

"A relationship is a two way street, and both of you are grown enough to know what you want and the fact that you're going on like a jealous teenager doesn't seem to suit well. In either case you need to back off and re-evaluate where you're at and maybe have her do the same. The jealousy crap needs to stop because it's obviously getting you nothing but frustration."

"but.. I.. I don't want to let go." John said as he sighed and leaned back on the chair.

"Then you lose her." Rosa said.

"Thanks for the chocolate." She said before she turned and left the library, not knowing that someone else had been observing the whole situation.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Hawkeye sat next to Rosa breathing hard from having been running in order to not arrive late to class. She knew how Commander Spock felt about tardiness, and she had barely made it.

"Where have you been? I hardly see you anymore and now you're always racing to make it to class." Rosa whispered while writing at the same time.

"Commander Alda has decided to give me yet another task apart from what I do in class, and being Captain of the unofficial soccer team. I swear that the man is out to break me, and just when I think that I couldn't hate him more, he'll show up at the most unexpected moments and show me this lighter, charming side of him that makes me forget that I ever felt anything but admiration for him."

Rosa gave her a doubtful look before going back to her writing.

"I don't know about this Hawkeye, it sounds like you're headed towards a downward spiral, maybe you should tell him that you can't take on so much."

"Are you crazy? And have him think I'm not competent enough to handle what he throws at me?"

"This isn't about what he thinks, this is about your health emotional and mental!" Rosa said a little too loudly and a couple of the cadets looked at her.  
>Rosa frowned at one of them until he turned around and went back to his work.<p>

"Cadet Santeiro." Came a strong voice and she looked up to see Commander Spock addressing her.

"If you have something important to share with the class; I by all means will relinquish my authority over to you."

A couple of people chuckled and everyone except K'Tiran turned around to look at her. She could feel her cheeks burning and she quickly put her head down.

"I'm sorry commander, I have nothing to address at this time."

Commander Spock nodded and began his lecture; Rosa on the other hand couldn't remember being so embarrassed in her life. 


	10. Chapter 10

"So." Uhura said as she ran her fingertips up and down Spock's arm. They were sitting in his study and had just finished grading his students' assignments. "I heard that Commander Patel feels you've shrugged him off by refusing to be a part of the Horoshi-maru project. Something about how you've placed another Vulcan in your stead because you feel it's of low importance."

"Where did you receive this source of information from?"

"My roommate was the one that told me. I guess it's just a rumor that's been floating around but I get the feeling that it is a true rumor for if ever your name should surface, he begins to grumble and complain."

Spock's human half rolled his eyes at that. It never ceased to amaze him how some humans despite being mature in age and professionals of high rank could still act so incredibly immature and child like.

"I don't know what the commander expects of me, I told him on various occasions that I simply did not have the time to involve myself in his project for those who have worked with Commander Patel know, even if he says he is leading a project, that really means that others are given the load of the work while he simply stands back to supervise and observe in the end taking credit for accomplishments that are not his."

Uhura's eyes shot wide open. "Why Spock! I think that's the first time I've heard you say anything like that about one of your fellow comrades."

He leaned back in his chair thinking it over.  
>"I am simply stating a fact, but it is not one that I would share with just anyone for I know that what is said here does not leave the room."<p>

She smiled and leaned closer to Spock, her face just inches away from his. "Hmmm.. You can be absolutely assured of that." She said before she leaned in and kissed him.

He in turn stood from his chair and enveloped her in his arms, continuing to kiss her, and when they finally separated, he looked deep into her dark eyes and whispered. "I think it's time to call it a day and retire."  
>Uhura quickly frowned, feeling like he was brushing her off when he leaned closer to her ear and whispered: "If you would be so good to accompany me to my quarters Cadet." He said before he let her go and began putting his things away.<p>

Uhura smiled and helped him. "It will be my pleasure Commander."

OoOoOoOoOoO

K'Tiran was walking back from the food market to his dorm room. He needed to replenish his stock of watercress and he also picked up a few other things as well, in particular a fruit the humans called a 'pomegranate' It was a peculiar looking thing, but it was in season and is said to be loaded with many vitamins and nutrients.

He turned a corner that led to apartments just outside the campus when he saw the form of Commander Spock and the human female he had introduced to him as his assistant. Instantly he remembered the scene that occurred when he was in Commander Spock's office and how she had barged in thinking he had been alone. He had not thought about this at all for he could not envision anything other than a professional relationship occurring between Spock and the cadet but then he saw it. It was unmistakable as the Cadet turned to face him and smiled, but what really got him to actually display surprise was that he had then turned to her and he also had a smile on his face. It was faint and not nearly as wide or expressive as hers, but it was there, and he suddenly stopped walking all together and simply watched them as they continued to walk. Finally the commander opened the door to the entrance of one of the apartment buildings and they slipped inside.  
>Is that where the commander lived? And if so, what was the cadet doing accompanying him?<p>

There had to be some sort of logical explanation for all of this. The commander would never get involved with an associate, and a cadet no less. Plus they were walking out in public where anyone could see them; surely she was just accompanying him to go over something work related. Or maybe there was something that she needed to get in order to complete an assignment. All of this would've been plausible excuses except for the fact that he had seen Spock Smile. 

OoOoOoOoOoO

Cadet Hawkeye was a total and complete mess, and it hadn't even been a month that she was at Starfleet.

Between having to do all of her assignments, plus leading the soccer team and oh yeah; let's not forget about all the 'extra projects' that Commander Alda would assign to her. It was like she had become his assistant except she got no recognition for it. Every now and again he'd appear to tell her what a great job she was doing, but he only seemed to do it when nobody was around. When other cadets were congregated he treated her as if she was of no significance and it was past grating on her nerves. She didn't have to do all the extras, she didn't have to be at his back and call only to be thanked when nobody was around; she was tired of it and she would not stand for it any longer. She had gotten to the point where she had absolutely no social life, and she hardly ever saw Rosa or anyone else anymore, what was it all for?

All feelings aside she knew that if she didn't put an end to it now, he'd be riding her for the entire year and she was not going to have that.

She was fuming when she arrived at his class and it all passed in a total blur for what she really wanted to do was be alone, have a good cry; and then go bake something that contained chocolate, and lots of it! 

She began packing her things even before Cadet Alda dismissed the class. She could feel that he was looking at her, the burning sensation of his stare almost caused her to look up at him but she did not give in and continued to pack her things until he did finally dismiss the class, and she quickly shot up out of her seat and was going up the steps to the exit two stairs at a time when she heard him call out.

"Can I have a word Cadet Hawkeye?"

"Shit!"  
>She said out loud, not at all hiding her displeasure of not being left alone even for one day. She sighed loudly and then turned around, the other cadets going past her in the process.<p>

She stood in front of him, her chest heaving up and down heavily and her eyes looking anywhere but at him.

"You called Commander?" She tried to say as expressionless as possible, but failed miserably.

He looked at her and then looked around to make sure no one was there and she scoffed at his actions for she knew what he was going to do. He was going to tell her how great she was and how she was doing excellent work now that nobody was around and it only made her even angrier; she was seriously contemplating just turning around and leaving when he began to speak.

"Cadet, I wanted to thank you and tell you that..." And that was as far as he got….

"NO! I don't want to hear it! If you were really thankful, you'd tell me in front of my peers instead of waiting till nobody is around as if what I do is some sort of shameful service. You don't even acknowledge me when others are around, how do you think that makes me feel Commander?

She didn't wait for him to answer and she disregarded the fact that his jaw had practically hit the ground at her outburst.

"And another thing, this unofficial Soccer team is taking up time that I should be using to study in my other courses, I don't even have friends anymore! So I'm giving you notice now so you can find another captain."

Commander Alda had finally snapped out of his shock and his face was replaced by one of anger as he yelled: "You're out of line cadet!"

But Hawkeye didn't back down and she raised her chin up and said: "No Commander, you are the one that has been out of line." She then turned and left his classroom knowing that this little outburst of hers was probably going to cost her future in star fleet.


	11. Chapter 11

Rosa sighed loudly as she slumped against the door of her dorm room. The day had finally come to a close… Or so she thought for she saw that the computer screen was flashing which meant that she had a message. 

"Computer relay messages."

"Messages for Cadet Santeiro." The computer replied and then Hawkeye's face appeared on the screen. She looked deathly pale and was breathing hard as if she had been running for her life.

"Rosa, meet me at the east building in the kitchen after your last class; I need to tell you something important." And then she was gone.

"End of messages" The computer replied.

Rosa's eyes shot wide open. What could have possibly happened? She thought as she quickly put down her books and headed back out the door.  
>She was speed walking across the campus and as she neared the building she broke out in a jog. A group of cadets were walking in her direction and she tried her best to dodge them by side stepping in the opposite direction.<p>

"Excuse me; Pardon me." She said when she accidentally bumped into a few of them. To Rosa they were just a blur of red uniforms and then an overwhelmingly large form appeared in front of her so suddenly that in order to not collide with it, she stopped with such a force that she ended up losing her balance and falling sideways.

Rosa was a dancer, she knew how to fall without seriously hurting herself, but regardless she was embarrassed, especially when she looked up and realized that it had been in front of Cadet K'Tiran. 

For a very brief moment, she saw that his face flashed with what she would guess was shock. Out of all the people she could've run into, why did it have to be him? The first thing she did was stand up rapidly and pull down her skirt which had hiked up her thigh during the fall, but she did it a little too quickly and she could feel her head spin.

She closed her eyes and placed her hand on her forehead, focusing on regaining her balance.

"Cadet Santeiro, are you alright?" She could hear his deep voice ask her. It caused a twist in her heart for it had been so long since she'd heard him address her.

"I'm fine, excuse me."  
>She said and almost fell again when she tried to side step him but this time strong arms caught her and her eyes flew open when she thought that it had been Cadet K'Tiran who had done it. She had always thought that they didn't make physical contact with anyone, but then when she looked up, she saw that it was Cadet Wingenfeld.<p>

"Geez Santeiro, wanna watch where you're going?"  
>He said with a smug grin on his face, and then when he saw the look on her face, it changed to a frown.<p>

"Hey, what's the matter?"

"That's the problem Wingenfeld; I don't know what the matter is!" She said and then pulled herself from his arms and ran all out towards the east building.

Cadet Wingenfeld watched her run and then turned towards K'Tiran who was also looking after her with no particular expression on his face. Wingenfeld scoffed out loud and then turned to K'Tiran and said: "Women!" before turning and walking away.

K'Tiran however remained standing there battling with himself whether he should follow her to see if she was in fact alright. He had never seen her in such a state before, maybe she was in need of medical assistance, or someone else was.

For the first time, he did not try to figure out what were the various options that were available to him, nor did he try to calculate what the end result would be for each of those options, and instead found himself walking in the direction to which she had gone. He did wonder however, what could she possibly need in the east building?

OoOoOoOoO

When Rosa barged into the double doors of the kitchen, she found Hawkeye wearing an apron and stirring something with chocolate like a mad woman with a wooden spoon. As she got closer she realized that her eyes were red and she was crying.

"What happened? Rosa asked softly as she got closer to her.

Hawkeye stopped whipping her chocolate batter and threw the wooden spoon on the counter, smearing the chocolate that was on there in the process.

"I…. I think I'm going to be expelled." She said as she wiped the tears on her face with her sleeve.

"What? Why? What happened?" Rosa exclaimed.

"Pull up a stool, it's a long story." Hawkeye replied.

Rosa nodded and was just grabbing one of the stools when there was a knock and then K'Tiran came in. Rosa stood absolutely still and her eyes were wide with shock. He looked over at Cadet Hawkeye and saw that she too had the same expression on her face except that her eyes were red and watery. He knew that humans cried when they were in pain or were suffering from a physical affliction; maybe she was the one that was in need of assistance.

"Cadet Hawkeye, do you require medical attention?" He asked.

Hawkeye blinked a few times and then looked over at Rosa who was still looking at K'Tiran in shock.  
>If the severity of possibly being kicked out of Star fleet weren't so grave, she would've been laughing out loud right about now, but instead, she ended up putting her face in her hands and began to bawl.<p>

That was what got Rosa to snap out of her stupor and she quickly walked over to the tall figure who looked absolutely confused at the whole scenario in front of him.

"I don't think she needs any medical assistance at this time, but if you would be so kind as to go to the cafeteria and get a cup of Valerian tea, it might help calm her down."

K'Tiran nodded but then cleared his throat. "If I may suggest a blend that I keep in my private quarters; I believe it would better serve her needs, it will just take a couple of minutes to prepare."

Rosa nodded, and for the first time since they had stopped talking; she smiled up at him. "I really appreciate you doing this."  
>He nodded and quickly turned around and was out the door.<br>Rosa went back to grab the stool and placed it next to Hawkeye. She put her hand over her shoulder and let her cry, patting her and whispering every now and again that it was ok to let it out. Finally when she had calmed down some, she told her everything, and by the time she was done; Rosa was livid.

"That son of a bitch should be the one to get expelled, not you! Why didn't you tell me any of this Hawkeye? Why did you keep it to yourself?"

Hawkeye shook her head as it was still cradled in her hands. "I don't know, I simply don't know."

"It'll be ok." Rosa said still shaking her head with disgust. "I'm sure that the worst you'll be given is some kind of temporary suspension and even that seems steep. Listen, when he does call you in, don't succumb to what he says. You know that you have not done anything wrong, and you have to stick by that."

Hawkeye nodded and wiped her face again. "Still, the fact that I've been here for only a month and already I'm in danger of expulsion! That's pretty bad!"

"It can happen to anyone. Remember that life throws unexpected things at us, but what will make the difference in the end is how you handle it. I'm positive that you will come out of this a stronger person Hawkeye."

Just then, there was a knock and K'Tiran emerged with a silver thermos in his hands.

"I made enough for all of us." He said.

Rosa got up and fetched a couple of tea cups from one of the cabinets, admiring the intricate design on them as she came back to place them on the saucers.  
>K'Tiran saw this and then looked around to find that it was a fully stocked kitchen they were sitting in. "I did not know that Star Fleet supplied such amenities."<p>

"They do, it is all state of the art equipment too but you have to supply your own food and make sure to leave the place as you found it when you finish."

K'Tiran raised and eyebrow as he began to pour the hot tea in the cups. Something on the counter caught his eye; it was a dark substance smeared across and even from where he stood the smell was overwhelmingly pleasant, and unlike anything he had ever encountered. It was pungently sweet, but intoxicating at the same time. Rosa saw this and looked over at Hawkeye before saying. "We come here to bake sometimes; I think Hawkeye was in the middle of making…." She reached over and picked up a spoon which she dipped into the bowl and then brought over to her mouth. She thought about the ingredients she was tasting before she said: "Double chocolate brownies."

"Damn you're good!" Hawkeye said as she lifted up her cup and inhaled deeply.  
>"This is lovely, what do you call this Cadet K'Tiran?"<p>

"It is a blend that I acquired yesterday in a store not far from campus. The shop caters to teas from all over earth and the shop keeper especially recommended this one for the calming of nerves."

Hawkeye didn't think anything of his explanation but Rosa made a mental note of what he said for why would he need the help of teas to calm down?

They made idle chatter and after they were done drinking tea, K'Tiran sealed his thermos back up and announced that he had to return to his quarters. They tried to convince him to stick around and wait for the brownies to be done, but he insisted he had other pressing matters to attend to. "Another time perhaps." He had said.

"Thank you very much for the tea." Hawkeye said. "I feel a lot better."

He nodded. "Think nothing of it."

With that he turned and left, but Rosa felt like things were still unsettled between them, and she turned to Hawkeye who now had a grin on her face.  
>"I'll be right back; I just need to talk to him."<p>

"Suuure." Hawkeye said playfully.

Rosa rolled her eyes and then walked out the double doors to find that K'Tiran had already walked a good distance. Of course, he wasn't called larger than life for nothing!

She had to run to catch up to him, and she didn't even have to call out to him for her footsteps were picked up by his keen hearing.  
>He turned around and faced her but there was something about his expression that was different. It was soft and maybe it was the lighting, but at the angle in which she was standing, it looked as if he was almost gracing her with a small smile.<p>

"I uh.. I just wanted to thank you again. You didn't have to trouble yourself like that, and we both appreciate what you've done."

"Like I said before; think nothing of it." He replied.

"But there is something that I cannot think nothing of, and that is the fact that you've distanced yourself lately. I hope that I didn't offend you, and if I have; I apologize." She said bowing her head slightly.

K'Tiran then stepped closer to her, so close that if she moved forward and inch, she'd touch him. She in turn had to cran her neck up in order to look at him, damn the man was tall!  
>"There is no need, and I will not distance myself again."<br>He never really answered whether she had or hadn't offended him, and she wanted to ask him but decided to just let it go since her mind was more occupied on the look he was currently giving her. It sent a shock so strong throughout her body that she had to turn away from his stare in order to keep from doing something incredibly stupid.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." She said as she backed away from him.

He nodded and turned back in the direction he had been walking.

Rosa's mind was racing as she went back to the buiding; "What just happened?"


	12. Chapter 12

As K'Tiran walked away towards his dorm room, images of Cadet Santeiro kept flashing through his mind. The look on her face when he declared that he wouldn't distance himself from her anymore, the way that she had been able to help in consoling her friend, and for some reason the image that kept re-emerging was the one of her having fallen and as a result ended up exposing her thighs. He could actually feel his blood racing through his body and it took every bit of discipline to remain calm and impassive.

Having told her that he wouldn't keep away from her was probably not what he should've said to her, but he found that he had been unable to say anything else, for it was what he wanted most. Ever since his arrival to earth he had never really met anyone that was like cadet Santeiro. There was something about her, even in her demeanor that made her seem different from the rest of the terran's who acted in such a manner that sometimes he seriously wondered if Star Fleet accepted forms of bribery.

What really made things change however was when he had walked into the kitchen itself; it was as if he instantly felt relaxed and his mood had changed drastically.  
>It was good that the cadet backed away and left when she did for if she had continued to look at him with her wide cinnamon colored eyes, he felt that he might've done something extremely inappropriate, self control be damned.<p>

This is what they had warned him about, the dangers of intermingling with humans and what it might do to him. What had come over him then? Even the smell of peonies that usually engulfed him when cadet Santeiro was around was overridden by a sweet and intoxicating scent. He could smell it even more so after she had put a spoonful of the dark substance in her mouth. She had not noticed, but he had been watching most carefully even as a tiny drop had slipped down her lips and she quickly captured it with her small pink tongue, it had proven to make him feel quite exhilarated despite himself.

What could it really hurt to have her as a friend? He had never really had friends on Vulcan since his focus was always directed at bettering and advancing his knowledge. He had no need for it, and even though that particular situation had not changed now that he was on Earth, he had no wish to stop being in the company of Cadet Santeiro, and she apparently felt the same. It seemed to him that to keep refraining from being around her would be illogical. Yes, completely illogical.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Hawkeye was on her way to Commander Alda's office. She had received a message from him that he needed to speak with her before classes started and as she made her way down the hall and towards the door. She braced herself for what was to come, took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in." He said.

And she opened the door and looked at him briefly before looking elsewhere. She held her head high and fought to keep an impassive look on her face, she kept chanting to herself over and over again: "You did nothing wrong, he can't hurt you."

"Please have a seat." He said.

"I prefer to stand." She said immediately. If he was going to try and fault her on this, she wasn't going to take it sitting down.

She could feel him looking her over and then he sighed loudly, he was warming up; getting ready to do his worst. She looked up at the clock on the wall, listening to the ticking of the seconds, the sound of his chair squeaking as he leaned back against it, and then he cleared his throat, would he just get on with it already?

"Cadet; I think I owe you an apology."

And then everything stopped. The ticking stopped, the squeaking stopped, and she looked into those blue eyes that had been torturing her for the last month and cocked her head to the side unable to say anything.

"I realize that I might have given you an excessive amount of work, so I can understand your sentiments that day. I didn't mean to overwork you cadet."

Commander Alda stood from behind his desk and walked over to where she stood. All the while Hawkeye was still trying to get over her initial shock.

"And I hope that you will strongly reconsider what you said about quitting because you are a fine captain."

Hawkeye was overcome with the turn of events but despite it all, the tune of this song sounded oh so familiar to past events when he'd be thanking her when no one was around that her shock quickly turned into uncertainty because after all was said and done; the man was apologizing and not kicking her out the door.

She knew she should be happy, she should be beaming, but there was something about this apology that seemed incomplete and so much like a repeat of past events that it only served to confuse her. She nodded, trying to hide what she was currently feeling.

She would day-dream about a scenario like this before; where they'd be in his office alone, she'd look into his gorgeous blue eyes and then he'd wrap his arms around her waist and tell her that he wanted her, needed her, and then he'd kiss her with such passion that he'd end up clearing all the paper and objects off of his desk, but now that she was here and looking into his blue eyes; she wanted nothing more than to run away and re-evaluate this whole situation in private. She was blushing she knew and having him in such close proximity wasn't helping.

The words that Rosa had said to her were playing in her mind. "Recently divorced" and "Messy.' What if he was just toying with her? She wouldn't be able to stand it, she deserved better then that.

"Thank You Commander; and believe me that I appreciate your kind comments but what I said still remains true; I don't know that I will be able to juggle so many responsibilities, it had gotten to the point where it was making me ill, and if I am to remain in Star Fleet I simply cannot do that anymore. I'm sure you'd agree that courses of study override those of leisure such as the soccer team."

Commander Alda's expression changed, it was as if he wasn't expecting any of this at all.  
>He looked at her, waiting to see if she'd say something else but when she didn't, he nodded and moved back to the seat behind his desk.<p>

"You're free to go then cadet." He said, his expression that of business again.

She quickly turned and left, and once she was out the door, she ran as fast as she could; totally confused, relieved, and unsettled about what had just happened.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Rosa was in the library yet again trying to find a quiet place to do her Astro-physics assignment. It seemed that the deeper they delved into the semester; the more trying the work got. At this rate she was going to need tutoring because it was taking longer and longer to finish the work.

She was unconsciously biting her nail as she read and re-read the problem to herself. "God I hate this." She mumbled afterwards.

"That mode of thinking will not help Cadet Santeiro."

She didn't need to look up to know who it was. The deep silkiness of his voice gave him away and her frustration quickly turned into a wide smile.

"Ah, Cadet K'Tiran; I should've known since you practically live in the library."

He raised an eyebrow. "But I don't, I have my own dormitory in the West building, the first floor, left side from…"

"It was an expression." She said laughing. "By the way, you don't have to refer to me so formally; my friends call me Rosa."

He raised his eyebrows. "I don't know if."

"You don't have to, it's up to you; but I wont be offended if you."

He seemed to think this over before he said: "Rosa is Spanish for Rose."

"Yes it is! Do you know how to speak Spanish? I bet you do; what don't Vulcans know?"

"I know the basics, but I'm not entirely fluent in the language since I do not practice it with regularity."

"That's still impressive." Rosa said. "A lot more impressive than me trying to do this assignment at any rate."

He looked over her assignment from where he stood. "I take it physics is not a strong point of yours."

"Why do you say that?" She asked worriedly; is my work wrong? Am I going to fail if I turn this in?"

K'Tiran sat down and quickly grazed her work more thoroughly. "You would not fail, but you wouldn't receive the highest possible marking. For example: Your answer for the question on luminosity and how it pertains to the electromagnetic spectrum is incorrect but the work showing how you got the problem is correct. How did you come about this answer?"

She took back her paper and re-read her work and sighed out loud before laughing. "I wrote it down wrong, I meant to put 3.125 instead of 8.124.

K'Tiran raised his eyebrow. "You should be more careful; that is quite a difference and had you had to provide an answer while in space, an incorrect answer could prove disastrous.

Rosa was the one that raised an eyebrow now. "You sound just like my instructor."

"If you require mentoring; I believe we would be able to reach an agreement for I still need assistance becoming familiar with Earth's customs. I currently see Commander Spock once a week to go over some information but I find that free time for the Commander is sometimes lacking; he is a very busy individual."

Rosa smiled up at him. "Ok, then I guess we have a deal." She was about to reach her hand out for a handshake when she suddenly remember and shook her head. "Sorry, I forgot!" She was withdrawing her hand when she wiggled her fingers and her eyes lit up.

"Hey! The air handshake!"

She reached her hand out and this time moved it in the form of a wave while wiggling her fingers again. "That looks pretty awesome actually." She looked up at him and found that he seemed quite confused at what she was doing, but there was amusement on his face too.

"Well I figured that since you can't make physical contact that… well.. Nevermind, that's just me being silly."

"So do humans only make physical hand contact when they meet, or have finalized a transaction?"

"Usually, but hand holding is also common between couples who are romantically involved but the form of physical hand contact as you call it is different."

"I see." He said. "On Vulcan we only make physical contact with Family members or the bonded mate that has been chosen for you."

That was the first time that Rosa had heard him talk about that, but maybe it was too soon to go asking about such intimate details; she'd save it for another day.

She looked up at the clock and realized she needed to head out.

"Cadet, I have to get going, but how does meeting this afternoon sound? That way you can help me with this assignment that I'm supposed to turn in tomorrow, is that ok?"

"I have time this afternoon after classes are done."

"Great! I'll meet you here after classes. Thanks; and have a good day."

"Likewise Rosa."

Rosa stopped when she heard her name from his mouth, it literally gave her goose bumps and she suddenly found it very hard to stop smiling.


	13. Chapter 13

"It's about time you got here." Hawkeye grumbled as Rosa sat down across from her in the cafeteria.

Rosa raised her eyebrow as she put her food in front of her. "What's eating you?" She asked.

Hawkeye looked to the side as she chewed on her food and after a while she simply shook her head. "I don't know, I simply don't know."

"Is Commander Alda bugging you again?" Rosa asked as she picked up half of her wrap.

"No, and as a matter of fact; he hasn't directed a word to me since that day in his office. He doesn't even look my way when he's lecturing in class, can you believe that shit?"

"Umm… isn't that kind of a good thing though Hawkeye? I mean, before he was bugging you to death being his personal nurse maid; I thought you'd be thrilled."

"I know!" Hawkeye raked her fingers through her hair. "I should be ecstatic, so why am I so miserable?"

"I'm no psychologist, but it sounds to me like you're unsettled about the way things ended, and I think your reaction is some what normal."

"What do you mean I'm unsettled?" Hawkeye asked.

"Look at you dude! You're complaining because he wont look your way when he's lecturing, give me a break! If it were any other instructor, would you give a damn if they looked your way or not?"

"Uhh.. not really."

"See, you're unsettled because at the end of the conversation, you led the Commander to understand that you hadn't totally forgiven him about the whole incident; that much is obvious."

Hawkeye sighed loudly and pushed her tray of food away from her.

"So what are you saying? I should go in his office and tell him that I wanna go back to being his personal secretary at his discretion."

"Absolutely not; I didn't say that what you did was wrong. You have every right to decide what you can and cannot do, and if you ask me, it's his problem if he has trouble dealing with the fact that you're putting your studies ahead of his idiosyncrasies. I'm just saying that it's probably going to take a while before things go back to how they use to be, and honestly speaking; I think that maybe you should set your focus on something other than Commander Alda. Let's go out into town Friday night. There's this restaurant that K'Tiran was talking about the other day where they make authentic Japanese cuisine, and apparently the make the best tofu in town."

"K'Tiran? Soooooo are you guys on a first name basis now?"

Rosa could feel herself blushing and she began to stammer. "I.. well… I … It gets pretty old calling him cadet all the time."

"And you guys are spending an awful lot of time together, what's going on there? I thought the man was avoiding you and now you guys are in the library playing patty cake with that Astrophysics book all the time."

Rosa scowled over at Hawkeye but then they both broke out laughing.

"I just totally pictured larger than life playing patty cake with his hands, and it was hilarious."

Rosa shook her head. "Sorry, can't picture it."

"But yeah, Count me in for the Japanese place, and you're right. I need to set my focus on something else before I start to see things than aren't really there."

Rosa nodded. "It's probably the best thing you could do. If he hasn't approached you since that meeting in his office then that means he's decided to let go of the situation, and you should too."

Hawkeye graced Rosa with a small smile. "Thanks; It'll take some time, but I will do my best."

OoOoOoOoOoO

"I hope you don't mind, but I told Hawkeye about the Japanese place we're going to on Friday." Rosa told K'Tiran as they were both working on their assignments in the library.

What had begun as the occasional study session had now turned into almost a daily affair. There were no words necessary; they simply knew to wait for each other there, and if one or the other couldn't make it; they would simply message each other.

Sometimes K'Tiran would help Rosa with her assignments and sometimes Rosa would go over written works of past writers throughout human history, or occasionally she would pull out a book from one of the shelves and go over anything he'd have questions on. The last book they had gone over was specifically picked out by K'Tiran since he had overheard some of his fellow cadets talking about a restaurant that catered to vegetarians. He knew that Rosa and Hawkeye enjoyed cooking so he thought he'd mention what he had overheard.

The book was lengthy and it would've taken forever to go over everything but they touched on subjects such as Japan's Economy, Social Structure, The Samurai's, Merchants and Artisans. (for some reason K'Tiran seemed intrigued with the Samurai's in particular) The many wars they'd been involved in and of course; the food.

"You already know that I do not mind." He said without looking up from his book.

"I know but.. I figured it would be polite to tell you anyway."

Polite… This was another one of those differences that K'Tiran was growing to appreciate though he'd never openly say it. On Vulcan such things were never considered. You did what you had to do and the considerations of others were not taken into thought unless it directly impacted the persons involved.

"Hawkeye seemed much improved the last time she attended class." K'Tiran noted.

"Yes, she had some trouble with one of her instructors but I think the worst of it has passed."

Rosa wondered if K'Tiran would openly admit to curiosity. She knew that to anyone else he wouldn't even consider it but now that they'd been around each other for a while; she wondered if he'd do the same with her.

A couple of seconds passed and K'Tiran did not comment further on the subject and Rosa continued on with her work when he spoke again. "Who is the instructor she was having difficulties with?"

Rosa smiled to herself and was about to answer before she realized that this was a touchy subject for Hawkeye and she wasn't sure if she'd want K'Tiran or anyone else knowing the nature of the difficulty she'd been having with a Commander.

"I uh.. I would tell you K'Tiran but since this is a sensitive matter concerning Hawkeye, I don't feel right in giving out that kind of information without her consent."

K'Tiran actually stopped what he was doing and for a moment Rosa thought that he had actually been offended, and then he turned to her, looking into her eyes and said. "So this is the trait I've heard so much of and have yet to see until now." He said.

Rosa was at a total loss, what was he going on about? "I'm sorry, what are you talking about?"

"Commander Spock had mentioned that sometimes humans form attachments with each other and when it reaches a certain level, there are loyalties to one another established. You are being loyal to your friend Hawkeye."

"Well of course, that's part of what makes a friendship solid, and it's not just her, I'm like that with others as well, even you."

Rosa almost gasped at the look K'Tiran formed. It was shock at first and an unmistakable upturn of the lips after, but then he turned back to his stoic expression.

"You consider me a friend?" He asked but he turned back to his work.

Rosa however did not turn away and continued to look at him when she replied. "Yes, I like to think that we are friends."

He turned to look at her again and she had a warm smile on her face, moving him in ways that really shouldn't have. That same sensation that he had had that day when they were in the courtyard outside of the east building came to him, and he found himself looking into her eyes and then to her small pink mouth. "Why did I do that just now?" He asked himself before looking back at his work.

"Then we are." He finally replied.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"What is Sashimi?" Asked K'Tiran as he looked over the menu in front of him.

"Don't get that, its raw fish." Rosa answered without looking up from the menu.

"Why would anyone eat raw fish?" He asked totally confused.

"Because it's tasty dipped in soy sauce with chopped up scallions." Hawkeye replied. She then looked up and saw that they had turned to look at her. "What? I like Sashimi, sue me."

"Come to think of it, I think I'm going to get sushi myself. This crunchy shrimp roll sounds good. "Tempura shrimp, avocado, cucumber, and fish roe, with a sweet sauce yum!" Rosa said as she now browsed through the main courses.

"K'Tiran this might be a good option for you. They have a vegetarian Udon Soup with vegetables and tofu, but then they also have a vegetable ramen soup, I would just double check with the waitress and be sure that the stock they use for the soups are vegetable based."

He nodded and put down his menu. "I think those are fine palatable choices."

The waitress came by and they finally ordered. Hot green tea was brought to the table along with edamame as an appetizer.  
>Rosa had asked K'Tiran what he thought of the edamame and it took him a few pods to finally reply: "Very palatable, do they sell this in the markets?"<p>

They were still eating the rest of their edamame when Hawkeye's eyes went wide and she turned pale as a ghost. Rosa noticed instantly and looked to see what she was looking at when she saw it.

In the entrance of the restaurant Commander Alda spoke with the hostess. His arm wrapped around the waist of a young blonde woman wearing a backless wine colored dress, and what looked to be like five inch heels, how could the woman even walk?  
>K'Tiran was oblivious to what was going on, or so he acted this way until the hostess walked by and Commander Alda and his hot date followed suit. Rosa mouthed over to her: "Stay Calm."<br>Hawkeye took a deep breath and Rosa was about to start on the topic of their upcoming midterms when the unthinkable happened; Commander Alda approached the table.


	14. Chapter 14

K'Tiran noticed the sudden change in Hawkeye's demeanor. Her complexion became very pale and her facial features also changed drastically, he then looked at Rosa who also seemed to notice but since she did not say anything; he continued to remain silent, maybe it was something between human females.

Shortly after Commander Alda approached their table and upon seeing the reaction on Cadet Hawkeye's face; he suddenly realized that this was probably the person that she had been having difficulties with. He looked over at Commander Alda's face and he saw that even though he greeted them all, his eyes were solely on Cadet Hawkeye; the look was unmistakable for whether human or Vulcan, the look of desire was plain.  
>Curious how there was also a type of possessiveness to his stare. He wondered if he felt threatened despite the fact that she was his student, but it didn't make sense for he obviously was attached to another female who upon further inspection was dressed in a rather immodest fashion.<p>

"Fancy meeting you all here." The commander said with a wide smile and a twinkle in his eye.  
>K'Tiran wondered if the question was really directed to them for it was Cadet Hawkeye who he continued to look at. Her facial features had changed drastically from her initial reaction however for she was now sipping her tea and looking extremely uninterested at the fact that the Commander was present and with a voluptuous female at his side.<p>

Rosa was the one that answered: "We're doing well, enjoying a change of scenery and taking in some fabulous Japanese cuisine."

"I agree cadet, this is one of my favorite spots; oh, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce Vyktoria."

The blonde gave them a dazzling colgate smile and said "Nice to meet you all." Her voice was very high pitched and had an accent, she sounded like she was Russian. Rosa was the only one to actually reply while both Hawkeye and K'Tiran simply nodded. The whole time Commander Alda never removed his eyes from Cadet Hawkeye and it was only now that Rosa noticed and upon the realization, a smirk curved her lips before she asked: "Is Vyktoria your daughter Commander?"

Hawkeye suddenly choked but quickly picked up her tea to disguise it, here eyes were dancing with laughter as she looked away to hide it. K'Tiran simply raised an eyebrow and looked over at the Commander awaiting his answer.

The commander became flushed and quite red in the face as he struggled to find adequate words, and K'Tiran could see that Rosa was enjoying the fact that she had been able to cause such a reaction from the Commander with just five words.

"A friend cadet." He finally answered in a bothered tone. "If you'll excuse us; our table is ready. Enjoy the rest of your meal." He waved and then he and his much younger friend were escorted across the restaurant.

Rosa stared as they walked away, her cup of tea in hand and she contemplated what had just happened. "Probably has VIP seating; lucky gal."  
>Hawkeye put down her cup of tea before answering: "You think he's going to give her advice on what high school she should enroll in? The girl couldn't even be eighteen years old."<p>

"Come now Hawkeye, maybe he's going to give her some sound advice on what is required to enter star fleet. He's going to tell her that her spiked heels, the five pounds of makeup, and barely there dress are totally unacceptable."

"And then tell her to fetch his cane and arthritis ointment." Hawkeye replied to which they both laughed at.

Rosa looked over at K'Tiran who had a most amused look on his face, but he said nothing on the matter; but Rosa could tell that he had put two and two together, they would have to talk about it later when they were alone.  
>Right then their food arrived and the conversation shifted to other things, but Rosa could tell that the Commander Alda incident was ever present in her mind for every now and then she would get that far off look in her eye.<p>

OoOoOoOoOoO

"How did you find the food over all?" Rosa asked K'Tiran as they were all walking back towards campus.

"It was very different from anything I've ever had but it was palatable, in particular the edamame pods."

"You guys; I'm craving some dessert, what do you say we head back towards the east building and make something delicious."

"Umm.. I thought the kitchens were closed at this hour." Rosa said.

"I made friends with the woman who locks the doors." And as she said this, Hawkeye produced a key and jingled it around.

"Dude! How did you manage that?" Rosa asked with a shocked expression on her face.

"I have to make her a tray of cinnamon rolls every week and make sure the place is well taken care of after we use it."

"Speaking of cinnamon rolls, that sounds like the go to dessert right now with a cup of coffee."

"What is coffee?" K'Tiran asked.

Rosa and Hawkeye both stopped walking at the same exact time, looked at eachother and then looked at him before Rosa finally said: "You mean, you've never had coffee before?"

"I have not, and judging from the given reaction both of you are giving me, it appears that I am missing out on something."

"Oh my god!" Hawkeye exclaimed. "That is an understatement! Rosa! What the heck is wrong with you? You come from a flipping tropical island where the stuff grows in your back yard and you haven't introduced him to coffee by now?"

"He's a tea guy, and it's never come up till now." Rosa countered.

"We're making espresso and that settles that!" Hawkeye said as she determinedly began to walk at a faster pace ahead of them.

Rosa looked up at K'Tiran and simply shrugged as they kept walking. "Not everyone likes coffee Hawkeye, what if he finds it putrid?" Hawkeye waved her hand as if brushing her words off. "Nonsense, he'll love it."

They finally arrived at the east building and Hawkeye excitedly opened the kitchen door and turned on the lights. She took off her jacket and pulled a small box with a button out of her pocket. "What's that?" Rosa asked as she took off her jacket.

"You'll see." She said and then pushed the button and the small box began to open itself multiple times and then suddenly there was a wiz and a wur of sound before a whole bunch of ingredients were spread out in front of them.

"Impressive." Rosa said.

"Yup; kitchenaide micro storage. Got it for my birthday last year."

They set out to make the cinnamon rolls and even K'Tiran helped brush the dough with butter and then layered the brown sugar. Rosa pulled out the Italian espresso maker that was in the bottom cabinet and began to prepare it and as the smells combined; K'Tiran took in a deep breath, he had never known anything like this, and he could not deny that the whole process had been quite pleasant.

"So I'm going to do the honors." Hawkeye said as she poured some espresso on to a small cup.

K'Tiran eyed the small cup first and then brought it up to his nose to smell before he took a small sip. His expression remained the same but he put the cup down almost immediately and said: "It's bitter."

"That's because you have to add sugar." Rosa said as she held out a small container. K'Tiran added a teaspoon and mixed it well before taking another sip and this time he allowed the flavor to linger before he again took another sip.  
>"The sugar greatly improved the flavor of this beverage."<p>

Rosa drizzled the glaze over the cinnamon rolls and brought the plate over to the counter they everyone immediately digged in.  
>Since the cinnamon rolls were still hot, the glaze was oozing down the sides and napkins were immediately placed next to the plate.<p>

"K'Tiran, how many calories do you estimate we've consumed this evening?" Rosa asked and just as he was about to answer, Hawkeye interrupted. "Don't answer K'Tiran, we hardly do anything like this so it doesn't matter."

"Tell that to my thighs." Rosa mumbled as she ate the last of her roll.

"Rosa I do not understand what concern your thighs would have regarding caloric intake." K'Tiran said.

"Oh, but they're very concerned K'Tiran, they're growing wider as we speak!" Rosa said playfully.

He looked at her thighs and then back up at her. "Is this a human joke of sorts?" He asked, still confused.

"In a way." She replied.

"So whenever you guys are done talking about growing thighs, and caloric intake; I could use your help cleaning down this kitchen." Hawkeye said as she was wiping down the counters.  
>Between the three of them they were done in no time, and K'Tiran had already left when it was just Hawkeye and Rosa lounging around.<p>

"So, he calls you by your first name too now. How involved are you too anyway?"

"We're just friends."

"Has he got someone back home?"

"We haven't talked about it yet but I'm assuming that he does."

"Why don't you ask him?"

"Because, I don't want to know the answer." Rosa said simply.

"So whatcha think about today's little theatrical performance put on by Commander Alda? I thought your comment was awesome by the way." Hawkeye asked wanting to change the apparent sensitive topic.

"I think he's a ridiculous man who's going through a mid-life crisis of some sort. I would forget about him Hawkeye. Just because he's an instructor here at Star Fleet and commands a high level of respect doesn't mean that he's good relationship material."

"That sounds like a warning."

"Well, maybe you should take it as such. When he was over at the table even though he was supposedly directing himself to all of us, he was looking strictly at you. So I don't think that whatever it is that you two have going on is quite over yet on his side and I'm not sure what that whole Russian girl thing is about but it was like he was attempting to make you jealous. I'm not sure why a man of his age or level in society would stoop to such immature tactics, and until you told me he was divorced I would've assumed he's a man who's had little or no experience with women whatsoever."

"Maybe that's why he's divorced, because he doesn't know how to treat women." Hawkeye responded.

"Even more reason to stay away from him Hawkeye. Just keep doing what you're doing; he'll let it go eventually."

Hawkeye sighed loudly before answering: "I sure hope so."


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry that it's taken a while to load the next chapter. I've been as sick as a dog, and looking at a computer screen, nevermind actually writing. It was the last thing on my mind; but I'm feeling better and thus you have another chapter.**

"So, I've seen all these flyers and messages around concerning the first unofficial soccer game that's going to take place tomorrow." Rosa said as she and Hawkeye were in the library working on their assignments. K'Tiran had been called to help commander Patel that evening, and had left Rosa a message that he wouldn't be there today.

"Oh yeah that, so what?" Hawkeye said as if it held no interest to her.

"What do you mean so what? Now I know that you feel something towards this cause you've been sulking for the past three days."

"Have not." Hawkeye replied defiantly.

"What are we, three? You're really going to deny that it bothers you that they're going on while you watch in the sidelines?"

Hawkeye took a deep breath and dropped her pencil. "What am I supposed to do? There's nothing I can do about it anyway."

"I think we should go to the game." Rosa said. 

"No way, what if we run into Commander Alda?"

"You run into him when you go to his class, what's your point?"

"The point Rosa, is that in class, I can come in seconds before I'm considered late and once class is dismissed I can leave and never exchange a word with him."

"What do you do when you turn in your assignments?"

"I send them electronically; he's not like Spock or others that require a face to face interaction as proof that you actually submitted your own work."

"He still doesn't look your way when he does his lectures?"

"I don't know, I never look at him, just listen to what he says."

"Oh Hawkeye, this is a mess."

"I know! I swear to you that I cannot wait until his stupid class is over and done with; this is killing me!"

"We're almost halfway done, and we take Spring break next week." Rosa said. "But I still think you should come with me and watch the game. Not only because you shouldn't deprive yourself of what you like for his sake, but because it would also prove to him that you don't care about his crap, you're the mature adult and he's not going to hold up your life."

Hawkeye thought about it for a moment before answering: "You know, you're right, I can't keep living this way and avoiding things that I like for his sake, but I would feel a lot better if you came to the game."

Rosa smiled warmly before answering: "You can count on me; I'll be there."

OoOoOoOoO

K'Tiran finally made it back to his dorm room, it was late and he had to admit that he was actually tired. A good four hours of sleep would set him up nicely, and afterwards he'd meditate and maybe head out to the gym and get at least an hours worth of exercise. He began to take off his jacket when he saw he had messages.

"Computer, relay messages."

"Two Messages for Cadet K'Tiran."

On the screen appeared Rosa, she looked excited about something and he lifted his brow wondering what she'd have to say. "K'Tiran, I hope your work with Commander Patel is progressing. You're probably either getting ready to meditate, or going to sleep by the time you get this so I wont' keep you."

He raised an eyebrow, She knew him so well that it caused his stomach to lurch slightly, but then he went back to listening to the rest of her message.  
>"I'm going to accompany Hawkeye to the soccer game tomorrow, you're welcome to join us and we'll be meeting at the C23 section of the benches outside, but I know that you're busy nor share particular interest in human sports so I wouldn't blame you if you decided to pass."<br>He again raised his eyebrow, it was true; he didn't particular care for sports, as he thought that the nature of kicking, tossing, or hitting a ball was rather pointless. Not to mention that it seemed to bring out the worst traits in humans occasionally; it could get very violent and again he saw no logic in this at all.

"Either way have a good night K'Tiran; I'll see you soon." And then her image was gone. He really did have no particular interest in seeing the soccer game and as far as he knew, Rosa didn't particular care for it either but apparently Hawkeye did and she had even been the captain for a short while so it was easy to conclude that she was doing it for her sake. He could perhaps pass by after the game had ended, and maybe they would prepare something in the east building. He would never openly admit that he was growing quite fond of their cooking, but then he saw that he had another message and curiosity struck him.

"Computer, next message."

And then the image of a Vulcan female appeared and she began to speak; totally unlike Rosa. There was no smile, not hint of any feeling, only purpose; it was T'Shirah; his bonded.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The benches were crowded and both Rosa and Hawkeye had to squeeze by people to get to their seats. People were whistling and shouting and yelling things to players and they ran by, Rosa was definitely going to have a headache later but Hawkeye had a gleam in her eye and it wasn't long before she too started yelling and shouting like the rest of them.  
>For the most part Hawkeye seemed riled up and excited as if it were her who were out there getting ready to play, and Rosa could finally see first hand how frustrating this whole thing must've been for Hawkeye. There was a particular moment where Commander Alda had called a time out and he had run out into the field. His blue eyes were blazing with a fiery spirit; that even Rosa had to admit looked hot, but she realized that Hawkeye stayed unusually quiet. There was a look of longing and sadness on her face but when the game started up again; her rowdy spirit returned.<p>

The game had ended and they were waiting for the initial crowd to leave the benches, and when they were the only two left sitting around, they finally got up. As they were making their way out of the benches, Commander Alda was walking with two other people. One Rosa recognized was Commander Zeilia who served as the referee for the game, and the other was the newly appointed captain. He wasn't nearly as good as Hawkeye was, Rosa had been able to tell that much from though her knowledge on Soccer was limited, and when he saw them approaching he stopped talking in mid sentence and looked directly at Hawkeye.  
>Rosa looked between the two of them, internally cringing at the way he made his .. whatever it was he was feeling so obvious, but apparently the other two took no notice of this for they continued to talk.<p>

"I'll just be a minute fellas," He said and began to stride towards them.

Rosa wondered if she should excuse herself but looking over at the pale faced Hawkeye made her decide to stay put.

"So you made it out today." Commander Alda said in his most professional tone.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world." Hawkeye replied in a calm and collected manner. "Oh and congratulations to the orange team, they have fine players."

"We managed, we would've done better with our star player."

Hawkeye raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who?"

"You" He said, looking directly at her in away that even made Rosa blush.

Hawkeye sighed loudly and broke eye contact. "We have to go now Commander, congratulations again on a fine game."

"You really wont even consider it?" He said after they had taken a few steps.  
>Hawkeye turned around and thought before answering: "I think that for now I'm better off at just watching from the side lines. Sometimes watching from a distance can prepare a person far better than making a rash and hasty decision that will ultimately just compromise any future plans."<p>

Commander Alda's eyes sparkled and a smiled curled up his lips as he approached her.  
>Rosa looked at the two of them and then turned around wondering what to do when she saw K'Tiran standing next to a pole looking around by the benches where they had been sitting at.<p>

"Hawkeye, I'll be over by the pole; K'Tiran is there."

But Hawkeye didn't even acknowledge her as Commander Alda approached, and Rosa just shrugged and made her way over to K'Tiran who turned around upon hearing her footsteps.

Commander Alda continued not even acknowledging her friend: "Sometimes Cadet; watching for too long will void any compromise at all; sometimes action is necessary."

"Not when you've been substituted in more than once sense." Hawkeye retorted, where did that even come from?

"It can appear that way when the other party doesn't even want to listen or forgive past faults." He said. When had they gotten so close? He was just inches away from her, his eyes blazing, his chest heaving, was he angry?

"You know the old saying Commander: Fool me once shame on you; fool me twice; shame on me."

"Nobody was fooling you."

"I beg to differ, now if you'll excuse me."

She was about to turn away and he reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders. His touch was electrifying and her eyes grew wide involuntarily. "What do you want me to do in order to show you that it's not what you think?"

She looked into his eyes, his gorgeous blue eyes and for a moment couldn't believe this was happening, what did this all mean anyway? Did he actually reciprocate her feelings? Could this actually be why he was such a hard ass towards her before, and constantly calling on her to do his work because he didn't know of any other way to justify seeing her? This all ran through her mind but then she mentally kicked herself. 'Get real girl, he doesn't see you like that! He just wants you back to be his nurse maid!' and this thought got her back on track. She cleared her throat and in a calm manner said: "You need do nothing commander, nothing at all."

He sighed and removed his hands off of her shoulders, and without saying another word turned around left.

She too sighed and turned around to see that both Rosa and K'Tiran were looking at her. K'Tiran with his eyebrow slightly raised and Rosa with a deer in the headlights expression.

Hawkeye could feel herself getting hot and bothered. She knew she was blushing, and despite herself she said what was probably the most inappropriate thing to say: "This isn't what it looks like!"

"Nobody has said anything cadet." K'Tiran said calmly.

"That's right added Rosa. Now, I don't know about the both of you; but I'm hungry! Let's go cook something up!"

"I'm not really in the mood." Hawkeye replied dryly.

"Not even in the mood for chocolate?" Rosa said in a devious manner.

"Is that the concoction you two were making the first time that we all met in the east building." K'Tiran asked with interest.

"That's correct K'Tiran, and I actually recall promising you to make a chocolate concoction if we got a good grade on Commander Spocks first assignment but that kind of fell through."

"Indeed, I remember." He said.

"So, let's go take care of that now." Rosa said while grabbing Hawkeye by the arm.

"I look forward to it." K'Tiran said for he had a feeling that if the exotic smelling sustenance was as good as it smelled, he would very much be enjoying the nightly meal today.

**Next chapter is gonna be a riot; can you feel it? Even I can't wait! Woooo hoooo!**


	16. Chapter 16

**I don't own Ina Garten nor her fabulous brain and recipes.**

"What recipe are we doing today?" asked Rosa as she sat down on one of the stools near the counter. "I have a recipe from a cook back in the twenty first century. She was the celebrity chef of her day and she left a recipe where the brownie mix is practically all chocolate and only like half a cup of flour. Chocolate in it's extremity; I think that's the one we should do today."

Rosa got up out of the stool and nodded. "That sounds extremely promising. Meanwhile I'll work on dinner, but I left the ingredients in my room; I'll be back in a jiff."

"Do you have to bring back a lot of ingredients? If so I will accompany you." K'Tiran said as he was already starting to follow her.

"It's ok; I can handle it, maybe you can help Hawkeye." She said and then she was gone, K'Tiran kept looking after her even though she had gone and then turned around to find Hawkeye staring intently at him.

"You have to tell her something in private don't you?"

K'Tiran raised an eyebrow before saying: "I do indeed, how do you know this?"

"Your voice was different." Hawkeye was now measuring out the bittersweet chocolate pieces and adding them into her bowl. They made a distinct tinkling noise as they hit the glass.

"Could you specify how it was different?" He asked.

"I don't know, when you speak it's usually very passive but the way you expressed yourself just now seemed a bit more urgent, I'm surprised she didn't notice actually."

"I have to go back home to Vulcan next week; I need to tell her this, and something else of an important nature."

"Forgive me if I'm prying but I must ask; do you have a significant other back in your world?"

"By significant, I assume you're asking if there is a female that I'm emotionally attached to back home and the answer would be no, but when I was young my parents arranged a bonding ceremony between myself and another. We are therefore required to meet every so often."

"Does Rosa know this?"

"Rosa has never asked, and the subject has never come up. We as Vulcans are not accustomed to speaking openly about our personal lives."

"So, you can be bonded with someone and at the same time not feel any emotional attachment towards them?"

"It is difficult to explain to someone who is not of our world. The best way I can help you to understand is that this has been the way of our world for years. The purpose is not catered towards emotion but towards a dignified order and means of procreation."

"So you don't bond for love is what you're saying."

"Love is an earthly means of emotional motivation that does not serve as our primary purpose. However; it has occurred where one party changes their mind about who they want as a bond mate and if that is the case; there are several options available."

"So, you're allowed to change your mind?"

"In a sense but there has to be a logical reason behind it, for it is not looked well upon. You must consider that when the child is young; both parents spend a lot of time and energy picking out the logical bond mate for their child."

"When you go back to Vulcan, are you going to see your bonded?"

"I must, which is why I need to speak with Rosa in private."

There was so much more that Hawkeye wanted to ask, why would seeing his bonded concern her anyway? He himself said that she never brought up the private subject to him before, but she was afraid of pushing the Vulcan too far; he might decide to not say anything to Rosa at all, or worse yet; decide to go back to keeping his distance from her. She was surprised that he actually said as much as he did.

She smiled and looked up at him, for the first time seeing what would be the closest she would classify as anxious. He was even drumming his fingers on the counter.

"Rosa is a very special person. She gives herself so whole heartedly and cannot stand to see someone she cares about in pain, she would be a most loyal companion."

K'Tiran looked at her but said nothing at first but then he said: "I take it these are traits that are not common amongst humans for I have seen various examples of people who suffer needlessly due to the trait you would call selfishness."

"I can tell you first hand that there are many who suffer from that fault." Hawkeye said as she was adding the last ingredient to the brownie mix.

"Like Commander Alda?"

This caused Hawkeye to look up at him in shock. "W.. wh.. why did you use him as an example?"

"Because, every time he is near you cadet you always seem most distressed, yet it is obvious to me that there is something he is not communicating to you. Perhaps because he does not know how or because he is not able to, but he tries to in his own way and in the end only causes to aggravate you and the situation further. Whether it is due to selfishness however I cannot say for I do not have enough facts to ascertain such a conclusion."

"What do you think I should do about it? Rosa thinks I should stay away from him as much as possible."

"Today should've given you an indication that even if you stay away from him, he is not going to do the same. I recall the day at the restaurant, it was quite obvious he was trying to get your attention."

"I don't get it!" Hawkeye yelled. "Even you can see that he's out to get me, why me? What have I done? Should I request to have my class changed?"

"It is quite late into the semester to do that unless you bring forth proof that you have a solid reason to be switched or ask him personally to change you out to another class."

K'Tiran looked at her and then raised an eyebrow. "Have things always been this way between the two of you? I was under the impression that Instructor and student kept a level of distance unless work related issues arised. How did things become so complicated?" As he asked this, he thought back to when he saw Commander Spock and his assistant walking into his apartment building, maybe her explanation would help clarify what he saw that day, but as she began to explain, it only seemed to confirm the little things that he had not paid much attention to before, and he began to wonder if it was common for Instructors to form emotional attachments towards a student.  
>To some degree it made sense for an instructors life at star fleet revolved around helping students reach their greatest capacity, and sometimes that involved working alongside them for long periods of time in some cases.<br>He could see how it would take a great deal of mental discipline to keep all thoughts strictly professional at all times, especially where it concerned a human male working alongside a young and intelligent woman.

When Hawkeye was done, she looked curiously at him and asked: "You mean, Rosa has never told you this when you've been alone?"

"Never, she almost did once but she caught herself. She felt it would betray your trust."

"Wow, that's very considerate of her."

"Indeed."

And just then, Rosa came barging in trying to juggle a bag and various trays in her hands.

"Speak of the devil, what took you so long? I almost told my whole life's story to K'Tiran."

"I'm sorry; I ran into that Wingenfeld character out in the lawn."

Hawkeye looked over at K'Tiran and even though it was very faint, but she could see the slight clench K'Tirans teeth made at the mention of Cadet Wingenfeld."

"What did he want this time? Is he still trying to glue the pieces of his broken relationship together?"

"No, he's accepted the fact that they're better off apart, but now he's doing some cyber dating crap and he keeps meeting up with this crazy woman who wont be seen in public with him unless he's wearing his uniform. Yesterday he went out with someone else who kept asking more questions about his friend Cadet Roy than about him." 

Rosa was now unloading her items on the counter and pulled out the phyllo pastry. "I told him he should cool his jets and enjoy single life for a while before jumping into another relationship, but he wont listen to me."

"Yet he keeps coming to you for advice?" Hawkeye asked.

"Yup, oh! Which reminds me."  
>Rosa then reached into her uniform pocket and pulled out three chocolate candy bars. "He gave me last week's payment today."<p>

Hawkeye laughed out loud as she picked up the bars. "Hey pays you in chocolate?"

"Of course! You really don't think I'm gonna sit around and counsel him all day for free do you?"

K'Tiran remained expressionless as he looked at the bars of chocolate. "Why can he not go to the behavioral services center and seek counsel there instead? It seems illogical to burden you with his troubles."

"I can answer that." Hawkeye said with a devious smile on her face. "Because they kicked him out and told him there was nothing else they could do for him!"

At this both Rosa and Hawkeye laughed but K'Tiran stayed serious. K'Tiran never laughed when they joked in the past obviously, but he usually either raised an amused eyebrow or made a comment, this is why Hawkeye knew something was definitely up.

It wasn't long after that the meal was prepared and before them were spinach and feta cheese phyllo pockets with a watercress, and cucumber salad. K'Tiran must've been hungry for he ate two of the phyllo pockets and they were a pretty decent size. He didn't say much while they ate, and Rosa looked up at him curiously.

"Everything alright? You're quiet today."

"Everything is palatable, which is why I'm not saying much."

"Well, don't eat too much or you wont have room for dessert." Rosa said as she was getting up, with her empty plate in hand.

"I think I will take my dessert to my quarters; if you will accompany Rosa, there is something I'd like to discuss."

At this Hawkeye got up and began to slice the brownies. Even from where K'Tiran was sitting, once the knife made contact with the chocolate concoction; the aroma hit his senses and again he began to feel that strange sensation; it wasn't unpleasant by any means. He had been able to smell it earlier as it cooked but for some reason now it was causing an effect.  
>"You guys go ahead; I'll take care of the clean up."<p>

"Hawkeye really, that's not fair; there's a lot to clean up." Rosa started but then she looked her and saw the look in her eyes. "Really Rosa, it's ok. Go. With. K'Tiran." She then wrapped up the brownies and handed them to her with an exaggerated smile on her face.

"Now go! Shooo, both of you." Hawkeye said as she pushed her towards the door. K'Tiran was following after and pretty soon Rosa found herself outside of the kitchen looking up at K'Tiran's large stature. "Do you know what that's all about?"

"Yes, I'll explain." He said and immediately began to take long strides. Rosa had to run in order to keep up with him, which was odd since he normally slowed down to keep up with her smaller strides.

"K'Tiran, can you please tell me what's going on?"

"I will." He called back, still walking fast until they reached the outside of his building.

"In here?" Rosa asked totally confused.

"We need privacy, please." He said as he held the door open for her.

Rosa nodded and walked in, her heart was beating fast, and her mouth suddenly went dry. This wasn't the first time she was alone with K'Tiran; they were alone all the time in the library, and whenever they went out, but it was in public, and suddenly to be alone in his room made her jittery. It was so ridiculous, it was only K'Tiran, and if she was safe with anyone it was surely him for never once had they made physical contact, yet her heart was still racing, and her mind was still reeling a million miles a minute.

He opened the door to his quarters and suddenly she was greeted with warm air mingled with the scent of incense.

"Please come in, I hope you do not mind the temperature difference."

"It's ok; it feels just like back home in the tropical climate." She said, she suddenly felt so very awkward still holding the brownies in her hands, he walked towards her after he closed the door and took it from her hands.

"I will get plates for us." He said. "Please have a seat."

Rosa looked around quickly taking in her surroundings before sitting on the small chair near the kitchen. This is probably where he ate meals for the table in front of her was small and meticulously clean.

She opened her mouth to ask what this was all about, why Hawkeye had been adamant about them leaving, and what he needed to say to her but nothing came out, no words; not even a squeak so she quickly closed her mouth before he was back handing her a plate with a piece of brownie on it.

She smiled and took it, still not saying anything.

"Do you want some tea?" He asked.

"Only if you're having some." She replied.

"Not at the moment." He said sitting on the chair across from her. He looked at her and saw that she was rather pale and avoiding eye contact with him, so he picked up his piece of brownie and took in a deep breath. "So this is what you all rage over?"

She looked up and laughed nervously. "Well try it and you'll see why."

He nodded and took a bite.

It was…. Unlike anything he had ever tasted in his entire life.

The taste of the exotic concoction was almost too much as it made contact with his taste buds, and in order to hide the groan that he felt was going to escape his mouth; he ended up coughing.

Rosa looked up in alarm. "Are you ok?"

He cleared his throat and held up his hand. "I'm fine, it's just an unexpected flavor."

"Really? You don't like it?" And immediately took a bite out of it. "Mmm.. this is delicious! Oh my; Hawkeye really outdid herself with this recipe." And soon Rosa had eaten the entire thing, all nervousness forgotten, but K'Tiran only looked at her, feeling distinctly different as he watched her pink mouth as she ate, and then his stare traveled to her eyes, then her dark hair. She always held her hair back but he knew that she had beautiful hair, if only she would let it down for him to see, for him to touch.  
>This thought caused him to shake his head, what was going on? Why was he having these thoughts?<p>

Rosa looked at him; he looked like he was going to be sick the way he was holding his head. 

"K'Tiran you don't look good, maybe you shouldn't eat it anymore. It's possible that some foods from earth may not agree with your anatomy."

"I am not ill." He said looking directly at her. "In fact; I can't remember the last time I felt so well." And he picked up the rest of his brownie and devoured it all the while looking at Rosa.

Rosa felt her stomach flip. He was giving her the same look he did that night they had been out on the lawn, suddenly she didn't know if being there with him alone was such a good idea.

"K'Tiran, maybe we can talk later; I think I.."

and as she was getting up to leave, he was there in a flash standing in front of her; the same look in his eye and then he slowly raised his hand which was shaking slightly, and with his fingertips, he pressed them against her lips.

Rosa felt a sudden jolt pass through her, it was intense; desire, need, and something else that warmed her entire being. She couldn't describe it, everything was happening too quickly. With her own fingers, she felt his large ones still pressing against her lips and even though he didn't open his mouth to speak, she could hear him say distinctly: "Stay with me."

Rosa didn't exactly know what was going on in those moments; but she realized that she was faced with a choice. She could leave now and pretend that none of this ever happened for the sake of maintaining a special friendship she had formed with a being from another world, or she could do as he wished even knowing that she ran the risk of possibly getting emotionally hurt down the road.

She looked behind her at the door, and then up at him, looking into his eyes that suddenly spoke volumes to her, and she felt herself nod and reply. "ok." 


	17. Chapter 17

**I believe that Brownies are some kind of magic; you'll see what I mean...**

Rosa had nodded and said "Ok" but as thrilling as this all was right now, she was still confused as to why he had brought her here in the first place, and why was he acting so weird? He hadn't started to act this way since... 

She pulled his hand away from her face slowly and as she did this, his face changed to what she could've sworn was a frown before he turned away from her.

"You do not desire me?" He asked in a voice that was very unlike him.

"K'Tiran, did you start to feel this way after you ate the chocolate?" She asked, ignoring his question until she got to the bottom of this.

"I have always desired you from the moment I saw you. In regards to wanting to physically touch you; It started before when Cadet Hawkeye was preparing it; I could smell it and the fumes began the reaction."

Rosa walked over to him and gently pulled him by the arm. "How do you feel right now?"

"I am fine, but I believe my sex drive has been heightened." He looked at her and this time his fingertips brushed against her cheeks  
>"But I can control it especially since I would not do anything to harm you."<p>

"I think I should leave K'Tiran, at least until you're back to normal. I meant what I said that I'd be willing to stay because I do care for you, and I do desire you too, but only if you're of sound mind and body. I'd hate for us to do something that later on we'd regret."

"Doing anything of such a nature with you would never cause me regret but that is not to say that it wouldn't cause difficulty and that is why I needed to speak with you. Next week I must return to Vulcan..."

Upon hearing these words, Rosa's heart was struck with absolute dread, she knew where this was going and she suddenly regretted not having walked out when she had had the chance.  
>"You have someone back in your planet waiting for you don't you?"<p>

"Yes, but that is subject to change."

"I don't understand."

"This is why I have to go back. I have somehow blocked my mental telepathy with her; she knows that our bond has weakened and this is why she is requesting that we meet. I cannot deceive her into thinking we share a bond when I desire someone else."

"K'Tiran, Are you really going to give up your mate for me? Will that not cause trouble for you with her family? Your parents?" 

"It will, but I have made up my mind on the subject."

He could see the look of doubt on her face and he knew he probably needed to elaborate for her sake, despite uneasy about opening to feelings he would never admit to.

"I do not feel anything for her Rosa. Our parents chose us and we have met three times. Twice when we were children, and once when I became twenty one, and now that I am nearing twenty eight, she is wondering why I have not taken the initiative to meet with her again.

"I... I can't help but feel like some kind of home wrecker." Rosa mumbled.

K'Tiran raised a brow and said: "I don't understand, you are not wrecking my home." and he looked around to prove his point.

Rosa gave a faint smile, he could be so funny and not even realize it.  
>"It's an expression when a woman destroys the relationship of a couple in a devious manner."<p>

"A relationship would have to exist in order for that to occur. What I share with her is an arrangement and that is all."

"What if when you arrive at Vulcan, something happens where you can't break off your arrangement? What happens to us then?" and at this tears began to form in her eyes and the sight of this caused K'Tiran much distress for he had never seen her so upset before.

"Where are you going to be next week, are you staying on campus or are you going back to your family?"

"I'm traveling to visit my family."

"The island of Puerto Rico?"

She nodded while wiping the tears away from her eyes.

"When my business has concluded, I will contact you first thing; I promise you this." He said in such a gentle manner that it took her breath away. He was leaning towards her, wiping away her tears when she suddenly stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around him.  
>He in turn embraced her and lifted her off the ground, holding her as close to him as he could without causing her discomfort. He never expected her petite frame to feel so good against his.<br>He breathed in the scent of her hair; Peonies.

He knew then that no matter what it took; he would do anything to make Rosa officially his.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Hawkeye was almost done cleaning up the last of the mess in the kitchen when she heard the door swing open. For a moment she thought it might be Rosa and a smile formed on her face. She was dying to find out all the juicy details but her smile faded when she saw the black instructor's uniform.

"Evening" He called out.

"Evening" She replied without looking up from the dishes.

"This is a lot of mess for one person." He said as he pointed towards the pile of remaining dishes.

"I wasn't alone, Cadet Santeiro and K'Tiran were here too."

"And they took off and left you the mess?"

"I told them to leave, they had something to discuss."

"Huh.. Come to think of it I never see those two apart, are they an item or something?"

This caused Hawkeye to look up and hold out the plate of brownies that still remained. "Brownie? I made them."

For some reason; Commander Alda had one hand behind his back as if he were hiding something, but with his free hand he reached out and grabbed one.  
>"Oh my god! These are amazing!" He finished the first and then grabbed another.<p>

"This is the best brownie I've ever had! They're so moist, and delicious!"

Hawkeye was watching him eat with a curious look on her face all the while.

"I figured you'd be out celebrating with your team. Spending the night on the town, that sort of thing."

"We are going to in exactly thirty four minutes, you're welcome to join us if you like." He said as he licked his fingers clean. It was odd to see him go from extremely formal in the way he presented himself in class to so laidback now.

"I ate already, besides it would be awkward considering I'm no longer on the team."

"That doesn't matter, you could still tag along and have a drink; which reminds me; I came here to bring you this."

And then he pulled out a soccer ball from behind his back and it was signed by everyone on the team.  
>Hawkeye let out a gasp and she felt a sudden array of various emotions. Sadness for not being on the team anymore, happiness that they still thought of her, and frustration at the reason she hadn't been able to play in the first place.<p>

"That was the ball we played with today; I hope that it will serve as a motivational tool to have you back out on the field with us again."

But before she could even answer, he began walking away. He was almost at the door when he turned around and said: "You still standing there cadet? Hurry up or you'll be late."

"But I…"

"No buts; that way you can thank the team in person."

He had to put it that way didn't he; of course she couldn't say no now, so she began to remove the apron from around her waist and grabbed the soccer ball.

"Fine, but you're buying." 


	18. Chapter 18

**This AN is for my friend Condiotti (AKA Hawkeye)  
>Now I know that you'd love nothing better than for Mr.<strong>**Alan Alda****to get you drunk and have his way with you but I'm gonna give Hawkeye here something even better although it might now seem that way right now ;-)**

They arrived at the restaurant and immediately they were hit with the sound of booming music and indistinct chattering of people trying to talk above the loud music.  
>Hawkeye did not frequent the downtown scene so the sight of the bright lights and constant movement accompanied with the noise was a bit overwhelming.<br>She had come with a group of her ex team mates and Commander Alda in one of the shuttles, and she thought it interesting that he was humble enough to ride a long with them as opposed to taking one of the fleet's vehicles that were assigned to the faculty and staff. He sat across from her and was discussing the team's key plays with a couple of the cadet's but his stares at her direction did not go unnoticed by her.

She was now seated at the bar with Cadet Consuelo for his anatomy only tolerated food once every three days, and he merely sat with a glass of club soda enjoying the camaraderie with his team mates.

"Your departure was sudden; we were all wondering what had caused you to back out so suddenly since you seemed very enthusiastic about being on the team. You were a good captain too."

Hawkeye sighed and rubbed the side of her glass, she had ordered a peppermint schnapps on the rocks; her favorite.

"Things just got too complicated for me. I had work being thrown at me from all directions and I felt like I was drowning so I had to sit down and set my priorities which of course means that the academic portion comes first."

"Well I hope your situation changes soon and you come back, things aren't the same without you; heck even the Commander seemed different after you left."

Hawkeye's eyes widened and she almost choked on her drink. "Really? How?"

"He was angry all of the time, and pushing us way too hard. There was even one day out in practice where Reiman accidentally kicked the ball in to his own team's goal and he had a fit. He turned all kinds of colors, red, purple, and told everyone to get out of the field, and we still had an hour of practice left."  
>He then turned around and looked back at the table where they were all sitting at eating and talking. "Yup, he definitely seems a lot happier. It's good, people were talking about quitting, the team is after all unofficial."<p>

Hawkeye and Consuelo were now talking about what their plans for Spring break were when a voice interrupted them.

"Consuelo, if you're going to bore my Captain the least you could do is freshen up her drink."  
>Alda then lifted her empty glass and yelled at the bar tender: " 'Nother round please."<p>

"On the contrary Commander, I found our conversation to be quite interesting." Hawkeye then winked over at Consuelo who grinned in turn.

"Oh yeah? Was he telling you about the time he kicked the ball the sidelines and almost cost us the game?"

Consuelo got up holding his hands in the air and laughing slightly. "Alright, alright, I can take a hint; I'll leave the Commander to you Hawkeye."

She didn't say anything however as she began to sip on the drink that the bar tender brought back. This would be the last one, and then she'd head back because in all honesty she was dying to know what had happened between Rosa and K'Tiran.

"So now that you're back on the team, I want to go over some game plans that I've developed." The commander began and Hawkeye couldn't help but laugh at his audacity.

"Presumptuous as well as demanding. I don't recall saying I was back."

"Come on Hawkeye, Is it really so hard to put the past behind us and start over again?"

"That would depend on what it is that we're starting again. If it entails endless hours of work; I will have no part in it."

"I'm not going to do that, and if I do; you have my permission to remind me that I'm overwhelming you; do we have a deal?"  
>He extended his hand and Hawkeye looked at it and then up at his twinkling blue eyes.<p>

Here she was about to make a pact with the devil himself, she had been free of him... to some degree but damn he was persistent, and damn he was so good looking, and before she knew it; she had extended her own hand and sealed the deal.  
>He lifted his glass of scotch and with his free hand grabbed her hand and guided her towards the table where everyone else was at.<p>

"I want to make a toast to Hawkeye who has agreed to return to the team."

Everyone lifted their glasses and drank, Hawkeye herself draining the last of her Schnapps. Congratulations were said, a couple of the cadets talked to her about her return and what they had in mind for future games when the Commander walked by and handed her another drink.

"Really I shouldn't; I have to go back actually."

"What? But the party just got started, you can't leave now! Come on, one more drink, and then you can go; I'll take you back personally."  
>She should be declining, she should be walking out of the restaurant and on her way to catch the shuttle but before she knew what was happening, she found herself accepting his drink and saying: "Ok, but this is the last one!"<p>

OoOoOoOoOoO

Rosa dedicated the morning to packing her things.  
>There were already many cadets who had left as soon as classes had ended the day before, her room mate included but Rosa had waited because she wanted to say goodbye to her friends. K'Tiran had already departed that morning and left her a message.<br>She knew that his trip was by no means a form of pleasantry, she could only begin to imagine how his family would react to the news that he had forfeited the mate they had specifically chosen for him in place of a human; yeah, that definitely wasn't going to go down well for even though they were a peaceful, logical people; it was clear that they still didn't think much in regards to intermingling with humans.

She had tried to contact Hawkeye last night and this morning to no avail, it was like she had disappeared. This thought lingered in her mind and she put down what she was packing and walked over to the computer.

"Computer, call cadet Hawkeye."

"Calling..."

And finally Hawkeye appeared on screen, her hair disheveled, her eyes bloodshot and her voice groggy. "Rosa?"

"Oh my god Hawkeye, what in the world happened to you?"

Hawkeye was rubbing her face, in the process disheveling her hair more.

"I went out."

"Where? With who?"

"With Commander Alda and some people from the soccer team... Ouch.. my head! Bleargh.. Give me a second Rosa, I think I'm gonna be sick."

"I'm coming over!" She replied and then ended the message.

When Rosa arrived at Hawkeyes room, she was splayed across her bed and groaning "Never again..."

"What time did you get back last night?"

"Two in the morning. Commander Alda brought me back."

"Oh Hawkeye you didn't.. I mean..."

"Did I sleep with him?"

"Did you?"

"No" She got up and faced Rosa for the first time since she got there. "But we made out."

"Oh Hawkeye..."

"It was my fault though, I initiated it; he was actually the one that pulled away and said we couldn't."

"So what happens now? "

"I don't know, but I guess I read into his signals all wrong because if he wanted me, why did he pull away from me? I'm just going to pretend that I don't remember what happened, and it'll go away. In a way I'm glad this happened because I now know that he was never actually attracted to me, he really did just appreciate me as a student."

"I'm so sorry Hawkeye." Was all Rosa could say, this was definitely not a time tell her 'I told you so' but it did anger her because Commander Alda was chasing her like a love struck idiot, and to lead her on only to turn her away was wrong.

"The worst part is that I agreed to come back to the soccer team."

"Did the commander convince you of that or was that your own decision?"

"He convinced me."

Rosa was starting to get angry at this whole scenario, what the hell was his deal?  
>"Hawkeye, I think you should report him. First he loads with you work and gives you no recognition, then when you dropped him like a bad habit he was practically harassing you and now he got you drunk and doing things you wouldn't normally do, is that really how a Commander is supposed to act?"<p>

"I don't know, I don't want to talk about it please; my head is spinning."

"I have to go anyway; I have to catch a shuttle to go home."

"You're leaving? Oh my god, I didn't even ask you about what happened between you and K'Tiran."

"I can't go into details now; I really need to leave; but call me. You're staying on campus right?"

"Yeah, my brother is coming to visit for a few days but I'll be here."

"Ok, but please; try to stay out of Commander Alda's radar; ok?"

Hawkeye sighed and grumbled. "I'll try."

OoOoOoOoOoO 

With Rosa, her room mate, and more then half of the academy gone; Hawkeye ventured out to the grocery store to stock up on her cooking supplies.  
>The east building was sure to be empty so she could go in and cook up a chicken and dumplings recipe she had been craving.<p>

As predicted, the kitchen was empty and she set to work right away when the door opened and in came the man that was causing her so much turmoil in her life.

"Good afternoon; hope you're not feeling too badly today" He said.

Hawkeye's face became serious as she slammed her wooden spoon down.  
>"Ok, how do you know that I hang out here? Do you follow me or something?"<p>

"You're not the only one that is friends with the cleaning lady." He said with a smirk on his face, but when he saw that she remained serious, his own smirk died out and became serious as well.

"We need to talk about last night."

"What about it?" Hawkeye said returning to her cooking.

"We need to talk about what this signifies."

Hawkeye looked up in a confused manner. "That I'm back on the soccer team?"

"I'm not talking about that; I'm talking about the kiss."

"What kiss?"

"Really? You're going to deny it happened?"

Hawkeye put down her spoon again letting his words sink in and then she looked directly at him and began walking towards him.

"You set me up didn't you? The whole thing! You've been following me around, harassing me in order to get me back to being your maid and to keep me from running away again; you took me out on the town, got me drunk so I could act like a fool so you could hold it over my head If I ever threaten to back out!"  
>Her face scrounged up in disgust and the tears of pain she had been holding finally began to flow.<p>

"What a horrible thing to do! How dare you!"

She didn't know what she was going to do, she wanted to scream, kick, stab him with Star Fleet's finest cutlery; anything to make him feel the same pain she was experiencing now, and then she felt him spin her around and before she could do anything; his lips had descended upon hers. 


	19. Chapter 19

**Ok so, several things are going to happen in this chapter. I want to note that I know that in Start Trek 2009 they all use PADDS or whatever the heck they call it in order to communicate, but I'm gonna stick with TOS version on this and have them carry portable computers (like a padd :oP ) Just a tedious preference of mine.**

The reception K'Tiran received upon arriving on Vulcan was to be greeted by the silence that permeated his parents home. 

He had expected this, warm welcome's were not customary, and both his parents had busy schedules.  
>It was indeed a beautiful day on Vulcan though, it was warm, the air was dry, and the skies were a beautiful golden color. He would like to be able to bring Rosa here so they could share the wonder of his planet together; maybe some day.<p>

He decided not bring any luggage with him for he could already foresee that after all was said and done, he'd probably need to the leave the planet as soon as possible. Not wanting to waste time unnecessarily; he set out to T'Shirah's home immediately where she received him.

There were no smiles, no hint of anything on her face. She was almost as tall as he was, and there were no curves to her lanky, skinny body. Her skin was tan, and she had dark eyes that seemed to pierce through him accusingly; maybe she did know.  
>She had not changed much from the last time they had met, her hair was longer and braided neatly but that was the extent of it.<p>

"You have come sooner than I expected."

" I did not want to waste time in regards to this matter."

She lifted an eyebrow and motioned for him to go into the living room where he sat down.

"Do you require liquid or solid sustenance?"

"Not at this time. I will be direct and to the point; I have come here to break off our bond."

She did not budge, nor even blink at his declaration; she simply continued to look at him and then looked away towards the side while folding her hands in front of her.  
>"This is why our mental telepathy was blocked; I wish to know the reason why you are making such a request."<p>

"There are several; one of them being that since I have taken a career at Star Fleet, I am required to spend the majority of my time away from Vulcan. Surely you are more deserving of a bond that consists of merely acquiring a name, property, and possessions."

"We have never discussed this; how would you know my standpoint on the subject?"

"Wouldn't you have brought it up by now if it were of importance?"

She got up and walked up towards him with her head held high and stopped just inches away from him.

"I believe that the real reason you are here today is because you have met another on Earth. It's curious how only weeks after you departed I was blocked off. You didn't want me to see the deceit occurring in your heart and in your mind."

"I have never conducted myself in a deceitful manner with anyone for I still have a commitment with you."

"So there is another..."

Rosa's smile flashed in his mind and he felt his body stir. "There is."

T'Shirah looked at him and turned away. "I would be amendable to you having another, there is no need to break off our bond."

K'Tiran gave her a curious look and she in turn raised an eyebrow. "For you see; I have grown accustomed to the life I now lead. Your family is very generous and I do not think it logical to turn me out of the home granted to me simply because you have changed your mind."

"You must see that that is not an acceptable option, but if it is material security you seek then you can keep what you have acquired. I am by no means seeking to retrieve what was agreed upon by our parents."

"Do you solemnly agree to that?"

He nodded, "I do."

She continued to look at him as if studying him before she finally said: "She has a strong hold on you; I hope she is worth it."

K'Tiran simply nodded and said: "I must leave now." before turning around and letting himself out. She did not follow, simply stared at him before her lips turned up slightly in a small smile.

K'Tiran went back to his home and again it was empty. He began to seriously contemplate whether he should just leave now for he knew that his parents were not in the best terms with him. Even when he had said that he was going to visit; they showed no interest in seeing him. He wondered whether Rosa had arrived in Puerto Rico yet, and remembered that he was to notify her as soon as he had concluded his business, but it wasn't over yet.  
>While it was tempting to up and leave now, he knew he needed to tell his parents face to face what he had done, and deal with what was sure to come.<p>

OoOoOoOoO

The waters were crystalline blue as Rosa looked upon the endless waters with an eager smile on her face.  
>She loved the Ocean, she had not been exaggerating when she had told K'Tiran that she enjoyed walks on the beach when she had first spoken to him.<p>

She was wearing a one piece bathing suit and a pair of board shorts for she was quite finicky about exposing too much skin. She had her snorkeling equipment in hand and she dived head first into the water. The sensation of being in the tranquil water was a great relief. This is what she had been needing, for she loved the water.

She was swimming and getting reacquainted with the playground of her youth until her skin began to take on a prune like texture when she finally got out.  
>Her home was only about a block away from the water so she wouldn't have to walk for long periods of time with that heavy feeling one usually got when they had just gotten out of the water.<br>Besides; she was hoping that K'Tiran had been able to send her a message by now, but then again; things might've gotten out of hand, Vulcan or not… What if he was in trouble? She wondered momentarily.  
>She opened the screen door of the house and immediately her younger brother approached her. "People have been leaving you messages; the computer keeps talking all the time."<p>

Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly grabbed it and took it with her to what use to be her old room but had now been converted into the guest room.  
>"Computer relay messages."<p>

"Two messages."

The first one was one of the star fleet officials wishing everyone a happy spring vacation, and of course reminding them that they still needn't forget about their studies.

"Blah, blah, blah, next." And then K'Tiran's face appeared. Anyone who didn't know him would say he looked like a normal Vulcan but Rosa knew better; he looked defeated and something akin to frustrated.

"Rosa; I am holding true to my promise that I have concluded my business and it was successful. However; circumstances require that I leave immediately so I am on my way to take the shuttle back to Star Fleet Campus. I will be available before it goes back to Earth should you choose to discuss anything further." And then he was gone.

No goodbye, no words of endearment. Yup, it must've been hell for him.

"Computer, connect me with K'Tiran please."

"Connecting…"

His face appeared on her screen shortly and his eyes lit up slightly. "Rosa, I hope you are well."

"It is I who should be asking how you are; where are you?"

"I'm at the Vulcan shuttle station. The estimated time of departure is six minutes, and forty two seconds." As he said this, his face took on a look of confusion and he added. "You appear different Rosa, is it raining where you are at?"  
>She touched her hair and laughed as she realized that she was still wet from her swim.<p>

"No, I just came from snorkeling, look what I found!" She then held up a small lavender and pink spiral shell.

"That is lovely."

"K'Tiran… Do you really wish to go back to campus?"

He cocked his head to the side at her question. "I have no where else to go."

"That's not true; you can come here."

"Rosa.." He began.

"I've already told my family about you, and they actually want to meet you. I assure you that it would not be of any inconvenience whatsoever, but I leave the decision up to you."

He seemed to contemplate it for a moment before lifting an eyebrow. "If you are sure I would not interfere with your plans then I would be glad to pay you a visit."

Rosa didn't hide her squeal of happiness as she clapped her hands together. She gave him the directions of how to reach her home quickly for she knew that his shuttle was to arrive soon.

"You got all that?"

"I do indeed. I will see you soon then."

She smiled warmly into the screen. "I'll be waiting." And then the screen went blank.

K'Tiran stayed staring at the blank screen realizing that despite the hardship he had just had to endure, in the end he was sure that it had been worth it.

Just then, he could hear the shuttle approaching and he got up to stand in line.

"Destination on Earth?" The pilot asked.

"Dorado, Puerto Rico." K'Tiran replied.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"So, I asked her; "What's wrong with me wanting to play 'Klingons Attack' on my game console with my friends? She's always out with her girlfriends and I never complain!"

"Wingenfeld, are you gonna wrap this up soon?"

"Why, what time is it?"

"It's gonna be noon, and I'm starving!" Hawkeye replied, but then a devious look took over her features. "Or if you insist on telling me more, at least take me to this new sandwich and tea shop they opened in town.

"Oh yeah, we can go there; I've taken Alicia there too on one of our dates but all she could do was talk about some guy named Ryan. Do you know a Cadet Ryan Shingles?"

"Shingles?"

"Yeah, I get the distinct feeling that she's using me to rebound…"

"Really?" Hawkeye replied totally uninterested.

Hawkeye picked the Rose hips tea and the three meat salad and she ate happily as Wingenfeld prattled on about…. Whatever it was he was saying.

"So, where is Rosa?"

"She went home to Puerto Rico."

"Why didn't you go with her?"

"She lives right by the water and I'm not very fond of the beach."

"I love the beach, there was a time when I use to swim regularly and one time my friends dared me to swim in this one lake that was rumored to have a deadly bacteria that enters your body if you breathe in the water."

"Oh yeah, what happens then?"

"It melts your brain and you die."

Hawkeye looked up at him and then burst out laughing heartily, so much so that she had tears in her eyes.

"Oh my god Wingenfeld, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

"What? How come? Oh look, its Commander Alda."

Hawkeye's eyes snapped open and she turned around swiftly in her chair to see that he had just walked in to the shop and was looking directly at them with a frown on his face. 


	20. Chapter 20

**Wow.. 20 chapters already! YAY!**

K'Tiran was looking out the window as the shuttle descended towards Dorado, Puerto Rico. It was a very beautiful part of earth as the deep green mountains were surrounded by crystal blue waters, it would be an interesting part of the terran world.

As he exited the shuttle, he had to duck his head to accommodate his 6'7" stature and as soon as his feet hit the concrete earth; he looked around and quickly saw Rosa standing there with a wide smile on her face, she was not alone as there was a male human standing next to her who resembled her greatly; probably a family member.  
>She was wearing a red strapless dress with white flowers on it and some kind of foot attire that showed off most of it; they made a strange flip flop sound as she approached running but all was forgotten when she leapt in the air and latched on to him.<br>He dropped his one bag on the floor in order to catch her and she quickly wrapped her arms around him and gave him a firm hug before she let go.

"I know.. I know I'm making a scene, I'm sorry; I'm just really glad you're here." She said with a smile still on her face.

"Do no apologize for I am relieved to be here." He said as he let her go and picked up his bag.

"This is my brother Eduardo; Eduardo, this is K'Tiran."

Eduardo was about to extend his hand when he suddenly pulled it back and blushed slightly. "Sorry, force of habit… So.. You're really a Vulcan! Wow; you're huge; cool robes man! I bet you'd have no problem climbing the coconut trees here! Say! Aren't you guys like super strong too? I bet you'd be killer with a machete too!"

Rosa bit down on her lower lip to keep from laughing at the look on K'Tirans face.

"Don't overwhelm him Ed, he just got here."

"I know! But I've never met a Vulcan before, this is so cool!"

"I believe we will have sufficient time to get to know one another" K'Tiran said nodding at him.

"You bet! Especially since dad ordered me to keep an eye on you too, I'm officially your third wheel, but if you're cool; I'll turn a blind eye every now and then." He said with a wink.

K'Tiran looked over at Rosa and she shrugged her shoulders. "Dad can be a bit overprotective, just be your extraordinary self and he'll latch on to you."

K'Tiran was about to comment when Rosa held up her hand and said: "Not literally! It means that he will trust you."

"I see." He said.

"Let's go home, are you hungry? Tired? Willing to do some sight seeing?"

"I have had sufficient rest, but I could do with some sustenance as I had nothing while on Vulcan."

Rosa frowned slightly but then smiled. "Don't worry; I'll fix you a native specialty."

Rosa could tell that he was intrigued when they arrived at her house. The garage and supply shed were on the level ground while there was a spiral staircase that led to the house itself.

"Most houses are like this because we're surrounded by water and hit by storms during the summer months, this way we don't worry about floods so much. Once they were only a few steps away from the balcony, they were greeted by loud barking and when Eduardo opened the screen door, a large boxer came running towards them.

"Pepe down!" Rosa commanded quickly. Pepe cocked his head to the side and did as he was told but his eyes were glued on the strange figure that just walked in through the door. K'Tiran looked at the dog in turn and then walked towards it before extending both of his arms and then Pepe jumped into them licking his hands and jumping up high enough to actually lick him in the face as well.

"Can you believe it? Pepe got to kiss K'Tiran and I still haven't!" Rosa mumbled to herself thinking no one would be able to hear, but he turned towards her and gave her a deep stare that made her stomach flip. They looked at each other this way for a while, and it seemed as if he wanted to say something but then a voice interrupted their interlude.  
>"Oh! You're back!" A woman cried out as she walking towards them. This was obviously Rosa's mother for there was a great similarity, particularly in the way that they smiled.<p>

"So you're K'Tiran! I am very pleased to meet you! I'm Sonia, Rosa's mother."

K'Tiran bowed slightly. "I am honored to be a guest in your home Mrs. Santeiro."

"The honor is ours I assure you; please let me show you the house and after you get cleaned up from the mess Pepe caused, you can put your things down in the room where you'll be staying at."  
>The house had four bedrooms and he discovered that he would be staying in the officerecreation room. Eduardo had made a joke that they placed him there because it was right across Rosa's parents room and that way they could hear if anything sneaky between he and Rosa went on, but K'Tiran seemed to think that it was an actual intentional attempt rather than a joke if his previous comment about being a 'third wheel' had any relevance.

"So now that you've seen the house; please make yourself at home, I'm almost done getting dinner ready. Rosa, would you be a dear and fetch some of the green bananas from the back yard?"  
>Rosa nodded and looked over at K'Tiran before he said: "I will accompany you if you like."<p>

"Sure I'll show you some of the trees father has planted while we're there."

Once the screen door slammed shut; Sonia looked up and then at Eduardo. "What are you still doing here? Go follow them!" Eduardo rolled his eyes and then followed suit.

Rosa and K'Tiran were in the shed as she picked out a small machete when she saw Eduardo approaching. "Did mom send you?"

"What do you think?"

Rosa rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. "What does she think I'm gonna do? Jump K'Tiran's bones the first moment we get alone?"  
>At this K'Tiran raised an eyebrow, while Eduardo chuckled but then shrugged.<p>

You know how mom and dad are, plus they're insecure because they don't know the nature of the relationship between you too. Dad still thinks you should've settled down here and married Fernando, given him a couple of grandkids to spoil and all that."

Rosa scoffed and swung her machete in the air. "And forget that I would've kissed my independence goodbye in the process as well as my future of doing what I really love."

"Fernando is still single and asks about you from time to time."

"Like I care."

"Who is Fernando?" K'Tiran asked.

"He lives two houses down from here. We grew up together as kids but for some reason we never seemed to get along and suddenly he hit puberty and decided he was going to conquer me and have me for his woman." Rosa turned to him with a smirk on her face. "You can see how well that turned out."

K'Tiran raised an amused eyebrow but kept following them as they began to climb up a steep bit of mountain. The mixture of smells that all the plants gave off was refreshing and the sounds of the birds singing combined with the blossoms of flowers surrounding them made him momentarily wish that the brother would have chosen now as one of the moments to turn a blind eye for Rosa looked quite desirable in her red dress. It brought out the blush in her cheeks and the brown in her eyes.

They passed by a stone area that was covered with vines that had ripe red berries tangled there. Both Rosa and Eduardo simultaneously reached out and began grabbing the berries. K'Tiran could tell that this was an automatic response for them and it was probably something they've done several times in the past before. Rosa instead of eating them straight away however reached out her hand towards him and smiled. "They're wild raspberries; try them."  
>As she handed him the raspberries, she intentionally let her hand rest on his before moving it away. Feeling his warmth flood her brought and even wider smile on her lips that caught her brother's attention. He coughed and cleared his throat before saying: "I'm gonna go check out how the papayas are coming along; you guys can get the bananas." And then walked away and out of sight.<p>

When Rosa could no longer hear her brother, she looked up at K'Tiran and they automatically came together, Rosa dropping the Machete in the process. For some reason Rosa felt shy around him again and wasn't sure what she should do until he wrapped his large hands around her and embraced her.  
>"I'm so glad you came K'Tiran." She whispered as she closed her eyes to savor the moment.<p>

"As am I Rosa." He replied before his fingers brushed against her lips.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Commander, if I could have a word." Hawkeye said as she saw Commander Alda walking towards the library."

"It'll have to be quick cadet; I have a meeting to get to."

When she caught up to him, she looked up at him incredulously. "You're mad at me for some reason; I just don't understand why."

"Don't you?" He said as he began walking again.

"Does this have to do with Wingenfeld?"

He suddenly turned around and practically growled. "What would you think if you saw me with a woman laughing and carrying on?"

"But I have already; or did you forget that we all saw you at the Japanese restaurant with your hands all over a voluptuous woman going to the VIP section no less."

"That was nothing!" He retorted.

"Right." Hawkeye said disbelievingly. "You know what, forget it; go to your meeting." She turned around and began to stride off in a huff when she heard quick footsteps and he suddenly grabbed her wrist. He sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry. I just.. When I saw you with him and you looked so happy..I .. I don't know. Please have patience with me."

Hawkeye didn't say anything for it was obvious that the mood had already been ruined.  
>"My meeting ends in an hour; I'd like to take you to dinner."<p>

"I don't know.." Hawkeye began before he looked around and made sure no one was around and stepped closer to her and caressed her face as if it were the most precious thing in the world. His blue eyes seared into hers before he lowered his head and captured her lips with his effectively leaving her breathless.

"Please?" He whispered.

How could she say no after that? She could already feel herself nodding. "Ok.." 


	21. Chapter 21

Rosa, her brother and K'Tiran were up the stairs when she realized that her father had arrived. She looked around and tried to brace herself for she didn't know how he was going to act with regards to K'Tiran. He had always been the one to try to dictate what she needed to do in her life and was fully against her going to Starfleet. In his eyes that was a place for men, and her place was to live nearby and give him grandchildren.  
>It just phased her completely how someone could still have that kind of mentality despite the progress women had made. <p>

When they came in he turned around with a wide smile on his face.

"Querida!" (Beloved) He said as he opened his arms. She knew that he meant well, he really was a good man, and a good father despite his antiquated thinking.

She embraced him and gave him a kiss before she looked up with a smile on her face. "I want you to meet K'Tiran daddy."

K'Tiran approached them and bowed slightly to him. "I am K'Tiran and I am very honored to be a guest in your home Mr. Santeiro."

Rosa's father looked up at the large figure, the half smile on his face gave away the fact that he was probably a bit uncomfortable. Rosa wondered if it was because he was intimidated by the large Vulcan or whether he was unsure about how he felt that this is who his daughter had chosen as her "Friend."  
>She had not forgotten that it had taken a while to become accustomed to their difference in size. She too had been extremely intimidated by him at first, and Rosa's dad was not much taller than her, he was 5'3", her mom was about 5'1" and the brother was actually the tallest standing at 5'6".<p>

"So you're the one my daughter fancies! How'd you manage to lasso her in? From the way she acted while she was at home, I thought for sure she'd take the veil rather than apply at Star fleet, nevermind actually dating!"

"Dad, I think you've been watching too many twentieth century cowboy sitcoms." Rosa mumbled.

"Your daughter and I met due to an assignment we had for a class where it was required that we work together on several occasions and that is how we came to become acquainted with one another, but even if we had not been selected as partners; I believe I still would've noticed her for she is quite different from any other I have ever met."

Rosa was taken aback by his words. How was it possible that a person who was supposedly only governed by logic could say something so deep and emotionally meaningful? She wanted to show him how his words moved her but all she could do was smile at him for now. He too was looking at her direction and this did not go unnoticed by her father who quickly interrupted.

"WELL! I am famished! What's for dinner Sonia? Come Rosa, weren't you going to prepare something for your buttercup here?"

Rosa smirked as she walked over to where her mom was and took out a grater and a bowl.

"K'Tiran, could you pass me some of those green bananas you helped me pick?"

K'Tiran immediately walked over alongside her and set them down. "Do you require assistance?"

"Well, I just need them to be peeled. They're not as easy when they're green, so use this little butter knife here."  
>He quickly and efficiently peeled the bananas and Rosa grated them into the bowl. It formed a white doughy consistency that Rosa formed into a meatball looking shape with her hands before dropping them into a pot of simmering beans.<p>

"That smells quite palatable K'Tiran said as he leaned in and watched the beans cook. "Oh it is, and totally vegetarian; for you."

"I am truly grateful." He replied as he peeled the last banana, meanwhile Rosa's dad and her mother had been watching the two interact the whole time. They exchanged knowing looks and continued watching them. They were in their own world together, unaware of anything except each other.

The meal consisted of Rice with pigeon peas, steamed fish, the beans with the green banana dumplings, and of course; a huge bowl of watercress. K'Tiran ate everything but the steamed fish and was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful everything tasted.

"For some reason I thought the dumplings would be sweet but they're not; they're like.."

"A potato." Rosa finished for him. "People are constantly surprised at how savory and delicious green banana's are, and wait ti'll I make you fried plantains with garlic sauce; those are very palatable too." Rosa said with a smile on her face.

"So K'Tiran!" Rosa's dad began. "After dinner we're going to head out to my brother's house who lives just down the road here; I hope that you'll be able to accompany us."

"I would be most amendable to that." He answered.

Eduardo chuckled and then looked over at K'Tiran. "You're going to meet our cousin; GG; short for goat girl!"

K'Tiran blinked and then looked over at Rosa who was laughing as well. "Is she really a goat?" He asked curiously.

Everyone broke out in laughter, particularly Rosa's father who had a hearty laugh that vibrated. "Rosa, you got yourself a funny man; I like him already!"

"It's a nickname K'Tiran, and you'll see why she has it when we get there."

After dinner, everyone helped clean up and soon they were walking down the street that sloped downhill. The air was taking on a pleasant chill and Rosa took in a deep breath for there really was nothing quite like mountain air mixed with the scent of saltiness from the sea. She stayed back a bit and K'Tiran followed her lead. At one point when they were walking she boldly reached out for his hand to find that he clasped and intertwined his with hers. It made her feel warm and more connected to him and then she heard him as if he were actually speaking to her even though he was looking in front of him and not moving his lips at all. It was just like that one time when they were in his room.

"Do you think we'll have a moment to speak in private?"

Rosa looked to find that her parents and brother were a ways ahead and then she looked up at him. Was she supposed to think back her response? She didn't know how Vulcan telepathy worked so she just whispered her answer. "I don't know, there's no such thing as privacy at my house; I think you saw that."

"I suspected as much." He replied.

"But… I might convince my brother and my cousin to go over to the beach and watch the sun set, we might have an opportunity then."

He gently squeezed her hand as if agreeing with her statement before he let go. She did not mind for she knew that Vulcans weren't into displays of affection, particularly in public.

They arrived at the house and she could hear her father saying in Spanish: "Look who's come to visit!" followed by the sounds of running footsteps and then she appeared; her cousin GG (aka goat girl)

"Oh my gosh; ROSA!" She said delightedly as she ran towards her. Rosa met her half way and did her share of running before they met in the middle and collided with a big hug.

K'Tiran watched their display and noted that this goat girl looked extremely similar to Rosa. They were almost the same height, they seemed to be the same weight, and they could probably pass as sisters rather than cousins. The only visible difference he could see between them was that goat girl had wild curly black hair and very pale skin that resembled milk while Rosa's hair was brown and wavy, and her skin was a bit tanner. Also, goat girl had a nasal voice and she gave a strong emphasis when using the letter R. She wore no makeup and her clothes were far too big for her frame, they looked as if they had belonged to someone else and had been passed down to her for it was discoloring in certain areas.  
>She was bringing her over now and as expected; he could already tell that she was probably thinking he was extremely tall at the way her eyes opened suddenly, but she kept a cheerful smile on her face.<p>

Introductions were made again and GG looked him up and down before shoving Rosa and making some kind of animal noise with her throat.

"Girl! You nabbed yourself quite the stud! Does he have a brother?"

Rosa cocked her head to the side and looked up at him. "That's a good question actually; do you have siblings K'Tiran?"

"No; I am the only offspring my parents produced."

"Oh.. that's too bad." GG said, but then her eyes lit up again. "No matter! Want to see my children?" and before he could answer, she ran off and Rosa followed suit. They too had steep bits of mountain in their backyard and right away he could smell the scent of animal excrement as well as hear the sounds of goats. Dozens, and dozens of goats, some with bells around their necks and some tied up next to a tree.

"These are my babies." She exclaimed happily. "Oh Rosa, I milked Oreo this morning so remind me to give you some of that and some cheese I made yesterday."

"Girl, that's dangerous! You know I'm just going to turn around and make stuffed peppers with it."

"Or I have a recipe for this dessert that calls for goats cheese; You'll have to try it before you leave."

K'Tiran had picked up a branch with leaves and was currently feeding one of them. He was amazed at how quickly they ate and once it was done eating; it looked up at him as if expecting more and when he produced nothing, he bumped his head against K'Tiran's leg.

"Betsy, don't be rude now!" And as if able to understand; the goat turned around and walked away.

Rosa laughed and looked over at her. "Still got the midas touch I see."

"What can I say." She said in a cocky manner. "It seems the only beings that ever listen to me are animals, cause humans certainly don't!"

"Right well, are you up to leaving your children for a few moments and accompanying us to the beach? I think Ed was wanting to come too, where is he?" Rosa turned around but he wasn't around.

"He's over there." K'Tiran said as he pointed towards the balcony of the house. Already her father, brother, uncle and someone else that she couldn't make out were sitting on one of the tables and playing a game of domino's, she could distinctly hear the sound of them smashing together.

"How did I know?" Rosa said.

"We'll be fine if we come right back after the sun sets; they wont even know we're gone."

They were already heading out when someone whistled really loud and they all turned around at the same time. It was Rosa's dad who was waving them over. Rosa gave a huff and began to walk back when she saw him nod his head and then he cupped his mouth and in his powerful voice yelled so they could hear.

"You girls can go; we want to show K'Tiran how to play."

Rosa smirked "there goes our time alone" She thought to herself as she looked up at him, but he of course remained expressionless.

"Do you mind K'Tiran?"

"Of course not; I will be glad to learn something new." He said, and then looked at her. "I will catch up with you later."

"Ok, have Eduardo bring you to us when you're done; he knows where we'll be."

He nodded and then made his way over to where the men were laughing and being extremely loud in their joyous game, she wondered whether she really should leave him alone with them but she also knew that GG was dying to hear all the juicy details. She herself wanted to be brought up to date with the latest gossip so she finally looked away from K'Tirans retreating form and they made off to the beach, arms linked together when goat girl began: "So, I want to hear everything! Start from the very beginning."

Rosa laughed. "Ok, brace yourself; it's quite a long story."

OoOoOoOoOoO

"So you and he haven't…."

Rosa shook her head, and GG laughed. "Wow, your father would be proud!"

"No, father would be proud if I had done as he wanted and stayed here and married Fernando and had a dozen of his children."

GG thought about that for a moment before saying: "Maybe at one time, but I don't think so anymore. When people ask him about you, he talks as if he's proud, and you know as well as I that if he hadn't had a good first impression of your man candy; he wouldn't be trying to teach him how to play domino's right now."

"K'Tiran is one of the nicest and most interesting person's I've ever known. I like being near him which is why I really wanted him to come stay here for the remainder of our vacation. I didn't actually think he'd do it."

"He may be a Vulcan, but he's still a man Rosa. A man is a man, is a man, is a man no matter what species or being, or whatever, and I saw the way he was looking at you; he definitely is attracted to you."

"He says he needs to talk to me about something, but you know that privacy here is impossible."

GG put her arm around her shoulder and gave her a big smile: "Welcome back home sweet heart." And they both laughed together.

"Hey, hey, hey! You girls are having too much fun!" Someone called out.

They turned around and saw that Eduardo was approaching with K'Tiran.  
>"How did the game go?" Rosa asked.<p>

"He won after I explained the game to him only one time."

Both Rosa and GG laughed. "How did dad take it?"

"He was happy, they were partners after all, me and uncle were the ones that lost."

"It is quite an interesting game; I would not mind playing it again in the future." K'Tiran commented.

GG looked over at Rosa and then at Eduardo when she got up and linked her arm around his, effectively spraying sand in the process. "Come, we need a walk."

"We do?" He asked raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Yes." Then she turned and looked at both Rosa and K'Tiran.

"We'll be back in a few minutes, do whatever!."

Rosa smirked at K'Tiran: "You hear that? We have her blessing."

"So it would seem." He said as he walked closer to her. She patted the sandy area that was next to her and he carefully moved his robes so that he wasn't sitting on them.

The view in front of them was incredible as the skies were hues of orange, violet and hints of yellow. From a far distance they could actually see beach goers packing up their things and heading out, but where they were there was nobody around.

They said nothing at first; simply enjoying each other's company, and then she felt that he was looking at her. She smiled and faced him, about to say something when his hands came up and gently cradled her face. He looked deep into her eyes and before Rosa knew what was happening; she felt his lips descend upon hers.


	22. Chapter 22

The kiss was tentative at first, it was a quick peck but then it was continuous pecks until Rosa grabbed his face gently and took lead of the kiss.

She realized as they were kissing that this was probably his first time kissing in the sense that she understood it.  
>He had technically kissed her the Vulcan way many times by transferring emotion via touch with his fingertips and while that was nice, this was much more intense. She could tell that he was enjoying it as he became more responsive, and she took a chance by opening her mouth slightly and inviting him to do the same. He did so and when their tongues touched Rosa felt a sensation like never before, the effect of it had her moaning in his mouth and clutching to him tighter. He did the same as his hands began to roam her sides and her back, desperately wanting to feel her skin.<br>He was becoming too aggressive though as he pulled away from her kiss to begin ravishing her neck and leaving a trail of kisses and bites that were sure to leave a mark and she really couldn't have that right now.

"K'Tiran.." She began.

But he continued, totally engulfed in his new discovery of physical stimulation, he bit down hard near her collarbone, causing her to shift away from him.

"K'Tiran." She said more harshly and this put her hands on his shoulders.

She looked up into his eyes and saw raw lust, his pupils totally black and his breathing heavy.

"Rosa I… I have never experienced anything like this; forgive me." He said suddenly feeling flustered, she could see his cheeks grow slightly green.

"K'Tiran it's not that. If we were back at Starfleet campus I wouldn't stop you because the uniform could hide the marks, but not here; my parent's would have a fit, and I want to keep the peace." She smiled and caressed his cheek gently.

"I promise we will do this again when we're alone."

She laughed as she saw him actually take a deep breath to try and center himself.

"Yes, this must be repeated, as well as chocolate." He said breathlessly.

She laughed again and took his hand in hers. "Do you want to walk down the beach here? The sunset is so beautiful."

"It is and I would normally not object but I feel you should know what happened back on Vulcan. I could tell you but I believe it will be much easier if I show you."

"Are you going to.." Rosa began and he nodded. "Yes, for us it is easier to say and express what we feel and think in this manner; I believe that I am ready to share communication of this nature with you." Rosa nodded, both excited and a bit nervous.

"Our minds" K'Tiran said as he placed his fingers on the sides of her head and face. "Together..." And then Rosa's eyes grew wide before she shut them and images began to infiltrate her mind. Suddenly her feelings were not her own, they were K'Tiran's and she was shocked to find how powerful they in fact were. She was looking at a huge woman, very similar to him and he realized who she was when the conversation started. K'Tiran felt disgust, pain, towards her and she could tell that it had been difficult for him to remain civil. She could pick up that he was longing for someone else as he spoke to her, she had been right when she had guessed that he was going to go through hell.

She was shocked at the Vulcan female's words, finding that she didn't care for K'Tiran at all but rather his material possessions, she was willing to stay bonded despite him wanting someone else and that in turn made her feel anger.  
>Then the image moved and he was standing in front of two elderly Vulcans. The father looked a lot like him and she guessed this is what he'd resemble when he got older.<p>

It was his cold and harsh words that practically stopped Rosa's heart because she could feel that K'Tiran wanted their approval and affection; yet they didn't even smile when they saw him. How could they be so cruel?

The father had only glanced at him and said: "You've increased in mass since your departure, are you becoming like those gluttonous humans now?"

The mother in turn was busy fixing her robes when she stated: "Have you gone to T'Shirah yet? Maybe conversing with her will bring some sense into your mind."

"That is partly why I have come, we are no longer bonded."

At this the father spun around, his eyes held a resentment so strong that it made Rosa want to shrink back.

"What was the cause for this course of action?" He demanded.

"I have found someone else I wish to bond with." He said simply even though she felt the pressure and strain this was causing him.

The father walked up looking him straight in the eye and in his cold voice calmly said: "Do you think we have a say in who we choose as our bond mate? Do you think I would've chosen your mother?" That made Rosa flinch, how dare he say that in front of her? and she stood there like nothing.

"She was chosen for me by my parents and I honor that arrangement just as you are supposed to honor yours!"

"That is where you are mistaken. I did honor it by allowing her to keep all that comes within the bonding arrangement, all except the physical aspect of it."

"If that isn't the most foolish thing I've ever heard you say." and then he walked away from him, his disgust apparent. He turned around again and in all his height and power he said: "You are no son of mine." before he turned back around and left.  
>The mother stayed staring at him for a moment before she too turned around and left as well.<p>

Rosa wanted to pull away, the pain was too much for her to bear; but she could feel that K'Tiran had more to show her and images began to flood her mind again. This time it was the image of herself when she had gone to pick him up at the shuttle and the way her whole face had lit up before she had gone running towards him.

Images of her studying beside him in the library, of her cooking, of her sitting in class trying to concentrate on what was being said, the time they were standing out in the lawn, then later when they had been in his room. She felt his desire and how he had had to put every bit of strength he possessed in order to not take her with him to his bed when she had hugged him.

She never would've guessed that he felt so strongly for her and the feeling of desperation quickly lifted to that of unmistakable love illogical as it might sound. She was overcome yet again but this time it was a good feeling for she realized that he really did love her, it was there staring right in front of her. It might've been considered hasty, usually it took a lot of time for an emotion like that to develop even for a human but it apparently wasn't the case for him. Rosa began to wonder if maybe this was why Vulcans didn't openly say how they felt. They didn't need to for what she was feeling now spoke ten times more than what any mere words could say.

Now it was too much for her to take, the combination of so many emotions was too much and she felt herself pull away. She was gasping for breath, tears streaming down her face and she was shaking slightly. K'Tiran quickly came upon her and tried to soothe her as best as he could.

"I'm sorry; I might have gone too far." He said.

Rosa was still gasping. "I had no idea.. I don't even know what to say."

"Sometimes, words are not necessary."

She looked up at him, the jumbled up feelings returning back to normal. He had been through so much, what could she possible say to make him understand? He had been right, no words would do justice so she leaned close to him and put her arms around him in a tight embrace before she settled one hand around his neck and the other hand on his chest, their foreheads just barely touching.

"I will always be here for you K'Tiran." She whispered as she looked into his eyes.

He closed his and grabbed one of her small hands and brought it up to his lips.  
>"I meant what I said to my parents on that day; I have never felt so strongly about anyone in such a short amount of time. When I came to earth I was completely focused on finding a challenge and a change of scenery than what I could find on Vulcan but this thing between us; it cannot be ignored and I want you to know that I do indeed wish to bond with you."<p>

"Is that the equivalent of?"

"Marriage, yes."

Rosa couldn't help but see the humor in all of this. This is exactly what she had been running away from when she joined Starfleet, and yet it had found her anyway, but it was different for she welcomed this. She knew she'd never meet anyone like K'Tiran ever again, and despite the fact that he was Vulcan and supposedly kept his feelings in control, she had never known that anyone could feel so strongly for her aside from her immediate family. She loved spending time with him and honestly couldn't picture her life here on out without him. She felt herself nodding and looking up at him again.

"Yes K'Tiran." She said as the happy tears rolled down her cheeks. "I accept."

OoOoOoOoO

"OH MY GOSH! YOU'RE ENGAGED?" Hawkeye squealed as she talked to Rosa via computer.  
>"I expected that yeah, you guys would eventually hook up but become engaged! I can't even believe it Rosa!"<p>

Rosa was smiling and nodding. "I know, I know!"

"Rosa, I know that you two have been digging on each other since day one practically but isn't this a bit hasty? You've only known him for a couple of months."

"I understand what you're saying, and believe me; I would normally be right there with you but after seeing what he went through and sharing that meld with him… I can't really explain it other than telling you that I just know in my heart and in my mind that this is it."

"Wow" Hawkeye said in wonder. "What do your parents think of all this?"

"They don't know yet. Father asked K'Tiran to join him tomorrow to go dig up some Yucca roots in the back yard and he's going to take the opportunity to tell him then."

"How do you think your father will take it?"

"Ummm.. It's hard to say. I don't think he'll be totally against it though because he's gotten along with him almost immediately, and he was tickled pink when he saw how quickly K'Tiran picked up on the game of dominoes. He's actually planning to have some kind of tournament set up the night after next… but uh.. enough about me.. How's it going with you? How's 'El Commandante?' Are you keeping your distance from him?

Hawkeye immediately flushed crimson. "Actually we've umm.. we've been seeing each other quite often."

Rosa's eyes shot wide open. "You mean.. you're .."

"Yeah, we're seeing each other, on the down low of course cause you know what would happen if anyone found out."

"Is he treating you well now at least?"

"Rosa; You have no idea how incredibly romantic he is. The other day he invited me out to dinner and I figured it would just be a restaurant you know, but when he came to pick me up he had a picnic basket and we ended up in bay view park with a spread of wine, cheeses, grapes, all kinds of delicious foods he made himself and we stayed there until the sun set, watching the boats come into the dock. It as truly the most romantic night of my life."

"Wow, that's pretty impressive." Rosa said having mentally visualized the outing.

"But what's gonna happen once classes start up again?"

"I need to talk to him about that. He says he has no intention of ending our relationship though, but we still have to plan out how we're going to see each other."

"So…" Rosa said smirking. "All that time you thought he was using you as his maid and it all turned out to be an attempt to just have you near him."

Hawkeye laughed. "Yeah, it would seem so. It never crossed my mind you know?"

"Well, it did for me, and I think it did for K'Tiran also, but I never said anything because he sounded like a man who had too much baggage, has he told you about his ex wife yet?"

"No, but I have a feeling he will because he wants to meet up tonight and talk."

"Oh. Well I have to go too so I'll talk to you Tomorrow; I want details!"

Hawkeye winked and smiled. "Likewise, I want to know how your dad takes the news!"

They said their goodbyes and Rosa ended the communication, but she was still thinking about what Hawkeye had said. She hoped her father would be understanding, and hopefully give his blessing for even if he didn't; she was still going to marry K'Tiran and be his bond mate.


	23. Chapter 23

**Here's a short one, but the next chapter will be longer for sure.**

K'Tiran woke quite early in the morning having gotten a generous five hours of sleep. He dedicated an hour to meditation afterwards and wandered quietly out of the house and towards the balcony. There were roosters crowing and the sounds of chickens clucking about. There was a slight chill in the morning mountain air and looking around he suddenly wished he had brought some of his clothes from Vulcan; but the situation called for him to leave as soon as possible and he hadn't thought about it.

"Early riser huh?" He heard someone call to him. He turned around and found Eduardo smiling at him, his hair still slightly disheveled, but he wore athletic type clothes.

"Are you going to partake in some sort of physical activity?"

"Yeah, I do a five mile run in the mountain trail almost everyday; say! Would you care to join me?"

"I would if I had the appropriate attire."

"I have some clothes that might fit you, back from my days before I got in shape; would you like to see if they fit?"

K'Tiran would normally pass but running sounded like a good idea right now and at least it would give him an opportunity to get to know Rosa's brother better.

"I could attempt it." He finally said.

Eduardo smiled and went back into the house. He handed him a pair of long shorts that fit well past his knees, he use to use them when playing basketball and it had an elastic band that could stretch a good bit. Then he handed him an extra large T-shirt he had that said "Just Did It" With a check mark on the bottom.

"Don't have shoes for you I'm sorry to say, I don't think my shoes could ever fit you." He said as he looked at K'Tiran feet, the man must've been at least a size 14 or so. 

"These will be of no consequence. I will go and change." And he did and when he came out, the shorts were several inches above his knees and the shirt fit somewhat snug but it was adequate for his immediate needs.  
>Eduardo smirked and moved out of the house. "Come on then."<p>

They ran briskly amongst the trees and bushes. The smell of the morning dew and the fragrance of the plants quite pleasant to his senses, he could very easily go at a faster pace but he kept it slow in order to keep up with Eduardo who appeared to be pushing himself.  
>There were green and bursts of colors from exotic flowers everywhere he turned; it was unlike anything he had ever seen before in comparison to the desert like land he grew up in.<br>K'Tiran calculated that they had gone about three point five miles when Eduardo stopped near a formation of rocks that were covered with vines. He was sweating profusely and breathing hard.  
>"Hope you don't mind a break." He said as he tried to catch his breath.<p>

"Not at all." K'Tiran replied.

"So…" He said looking K'Tiran up and down and noting he had hardly broken a sweat.

"How serious are you and my sister?"

"If by serious you are implying to the nature of our relationship; I venture to say that we're very serious."

"Normally that would concern me considering how short a time you've known each other. There's also the fact that she's never had a serious boyfriend. She's dated here and there but she's never had a serious relationship with anyone as far as I know, and I think I'd know because as you've seen; there's no privacy here." He ended with a smirk.

"Yes, I've noticed that." He said thinking back to the time he and Rosa were on the beach, and how she had become uncomfortable for the sake of her family finding out what they had been doing. It was the only moment since his arrival that he'd wished they were back in his room on Campus.

"But I don't know, it's different with you; It's like I can trust you. You care for her don't you?"

"Words could never do the sentiments justice."

Eduardo nodded. "I can tell, almost since you first got here, and I guess it's also because I've heard Vulcan's cannot tell a lie."

"Well they can but we find as a species that it would be illogical to do so since lies tend to stem from a need based off of irrational emotion in most cases. In regards to your sister however, she very quickly demonstrated to me that she had the capacity and capability to be an exceptional mate so for me time is not an issue but I understand that is not always the case for humans since you're more inclined to choose a mate because you're driven by love or a state of emotion similar to it."

"So, do you love my sister or does she simply meet your mate requirements?"

"If I wanted someone who met my mate requirements I would still be bonded to that person whom my parents chose, although recently she has proven that even that would be questionable if her actions demonstrate anything." K'Tiran looked at him but then looked away as if trying to decide something.

"What? What is it?" Eduardo asked.

"Rosa and I were going to wait till later to announce this but since we are on the subject now, I don't see why I shouldn't tell you."

"Tell me what?" Eduardo asked eagerly.

"I have asked her to be my bond mate or as you'd call it; my marriage partner; she has accepted."

Eduardo's eyes grew wide and he made a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a cough. "Wow! I can't picture my sister being married…Mom's going to be thrilled; she'll see this as an opportunity to finally be a grandmother!"

K'Tiran cleared his throat at that statement. "Well, that is something Rosa and I would have to discuss, and I don't foresee that as a possibility anytime soon as we're still attending Starfleet Academy."

"Oh my gosh! Have you gotten her a ring yet?"

K'Tiran blinked hard a few times. "A ring? What for?"

Eduardo knew he was going to have to sit for this on one of the nearby rocks. "On earth, when you ask someone to marry you; the male gives the female a ring that she places on her left hand. It's usually made out of a metal like gold and it serves as a symbol of commitment that you are prepared to love and honor her and if she accepts and wears it that means that she accepts the terms of the commitment. On your wedding day; you then give her another one that seals that pact and she in turn gives you one.

K'Tiran thought about it and automatically replied: "Such an emotional thing to do."

"Sure, it's a symbol of everlasting love; it is our way."

"Where do I acquire such a ring?"

"I can take you to a few places later today, and I can think up a plausible excuse that wont have Rosa suspecting."

"I cannot tell her about it?"

Eduardo tried not to laugh at his ignorance on the subject. "It's better if she doesn't know about it, that way she is surprised and makes the occasion more joyous on her part."

"I see." K'Tiran replied as he thought about it.

"But I still need to discuss the matter with your father."

"I agree." Eduardo said getting up. "In our culture especially, the blessing of the father figure is extremely important."

"Then I hope that he will consent." K'Tiran replied.

Eduardo smiled and began jogging once again as K'Tiran followed, all the while thinking about this ring he now needed to acquire for Rosa.


	24. Chapter 24

By the time that K'Tiran and Eduardo got back, Sonia was over by the stove cooking breakfast. K'Tiran immediately looked around for Rosa but did not see any sign of her.

"She went to GG's house to do a morning dance workout." Sonia said with a smile when she realized he was looking for her.

"In the meantime, sit down; have some breakfast and Eduardo here is going to take you into town afterwards."

K'Tiran raised an eyebrow. "Why are we going into town?"

"I noticed that you didn't bring clothes and it must be hot with all those robes you usually wear."

"I am accustomed to heat; the weather here is very agreeable to me."

"Regardless, we'll be getting you something you can change into."

"That's the best idea I've heard this morning mom" Eduardo piped in. K'Tiran saw a knowing gaze on his person and concluded that this is probably the excuse he had been looking for to show him where to get this ring.  
>"If Eduardo is willing then I shall do this." He said even though he normally wouldn't want to trouble anyone in this manner, but there were other factors at play, and Eduardo had offered his services.<p>

After breakfast, they headed out walking down the hill's slope and onto an intersection where they waited for a shuttle that was called: "Transportacion Publica" Eduardo told the driver where they wanted to go and they were immediately on their way. The shuttles were a lot smaller than what K'Tiran was accustomed to riding in and he had to hunch down and squeeze into his seat in order to fit, it was quite an uncomfortable journey and he was much relieved when they finally arrived at their destination.

"What do you want to look for first? Your clothes or the ring?"

"The ring." He answered immediately.

Eduardo nodded and immediately they went into a jewelers where there was a tan woman with a bright smile. She was wearing a pretty navy blue suit with gold buttons and had her hair tied up in a bun with jeweled pins.

"Bienvenidos! Como les puedo ayudar?" ( Welcome; How can I help you?) She began.

Eduardo replied in Spanish while K'Tiran listened; he was able to pick up a few words like "getting married" and "something reasonable."  
>The woman waved her hands in the air speaking so rapidly that he couldn't understand a word she said and then she suddenly disappeared to the back room, but came promptly back out with a large selection of rings on a velvet pillow.<br>They were all very beautiful looking and K'Tiran could hear her mention that some of them were from other planets but couldn't understand the details. He looked over at Eduardo and he didn't seem pleased with the selection so he thanked her and then they walked out.

"Why did we not select any of those rings? There seemed to be a good selection."

"Rule number one when you're buying jewelry." He began. "You never buy from the first place you visit. Rule number two, when you walk into a place that is flashy and the person who's trying to sell is as well; that probably means that they're compensating for the quality of their product, but I decided to give them a shot anyway but it was as I expected. You acquire a ring there and I guarantee that Rosa with have lost her rock before the year is out. You need something of quality for my sister."

K'Tiran nodded at this. "Sounds logical to me."

They went to two other places but it was the third place that seemed to have what they were looking for. The store itself was more of an antique shop that had a section dedicated to jewelry dating all the way back from the 20th century. Amongst all the one's that were on display, there was one that stood out amongst the rest. When the light hit the diamond it reflected colors of blue, yellow and purple; it was the most beautiful accessory K'Tiran had ever beheld and it was exactly what would suit Rosa.

"It is an original 20th century earth ring. 1.66 ct in a superbcert tiffany setting." The salesman said. "It will last forever."

Eduardo looked over at him with a smile on his face. "I think this is the one."  
>K'Tiran nodded. "Yes, I agree."<p>

OoOoOoOoOoO

This time when K'Tiran and Eduardo got back, Rosa was there with a wide smile on her face. She quickly came to greet him and the dog Pepe followed wagging his tail.

"Did you get some clothes?"

"He did, and I convinced him to get flip flops too." Eduardo added.

Rosa seemed very amused by this as she was laughing quite a bit. "I have to see that, how did you get him to do it?"

"It's island attire, he has to fit in right?"

K'Tiran then pulled out his gigantic black flip flops with the side strap read: "Puerto Rican Beach Bum"  
>This made Rosa laugh even harder. "I love it! Let me see what else you bought!" She said excitedly and both K'Tiran and Eduardo exchanged concerned looks and Eduardo cunningly changed the conversation. "Say where's dad? I want to show him what I got."<p>

Rosa's eyes lit up at the mention of him and then her smile faded some what. "He's downstairs digging yucca up. As a matter of fact he's waiting for you K'Tiran.

"Then I shall not keep him waiting longer." He said as he handed his bags to Eduardo. "I think you'd better hold on to this for now." He said before turning to Rosa.

"After you have that chat with my dad I would like for us to go swimming if that is agreeable to you."

He thought about this for a moment. "I do not wish to swim but I can accompany you."  
>She smiled and clutched his hand as if giving him a boost of confidence.<br>"I'll be here waiting."

He nodded and headed downstairs. It was not hard to find her father for he was making much noise trying to pull out the long dark brown roots. At one point he accidentally pierced one, exposing the creamy white flesh of the root.

"Darn, we'll have to trim that one." He then looked up and saw K'Tiran standing there and smiled.

"Well my boy, you look as if you've got a strong back; how bout you lend me a hand while I rest?"

"Of course." He replied as he picked up the shovel and with no effort at all began to dig up more of the roots. What had taken Rosa's dad half an hour to dig up, K'Tiran did in five minutes.

"That's enough, I think we have enough for dinner already."

He bent over and began placing the roots into a basket. "What are your plans with my daughter?"

"Plans in what respect Sir?"

He waved his hand around impatiently. "You know, what's the deal? Are you guys dating? And don't give me that 'just friends' bit because I don't believe it for a minute! I see the way you look at each other! It's like you've built this world around you that nobody can penetrate."

"As I explained to your son earlier; what I feel for Rosa could never be put into words. Words would do the sentiments injustice."

"So you do feel?" Her father asked with amusement.

"I would not be here in your home if I didn't."

"What are your future plans?"

"I'm pleased that you asked that Sir for I believe it is customary amongst humans to have to ask the father of the female for his daughters hand."

His eyes lit up and a smile formed on his face. "Are you?"

K'Tiran then reached into his inner pocket and pulled out the small velvet box that had the tiffany crest on it. He opened it up and held it out for her father to see.  
>"I want to make your daughter my future mate. I believe I can provide and make sure that she will be taken care of in all respects."<p>

Rosa's father clapped his hands together and he laughed joyously.

"So, what are the plans after you get married? How about you both move in a house nearby that way when Rosa becomes pregnant, she can have the support and attention of her family?"

K'Tiran realized what Rosa was talking about now when she said her going to Starfleet had an initial negative effect on her family. They were obviously very close knit and expanding said family was obviously of great importance to them, but this wasn't about pleasing them. He knew Rosa wanted to continue her career in Starfleet and he did as well, so what he was suggesting was totally out of the question.

"I appreciate your offer Sir, but Rosa and I have discussed remaining in Starfleet for now."

He seemed upset with this news and took the shovel away from him and began digging again. Strange considering he had said that they had dug up enough roots but then he stopped and seemed to let everything sink in.

"I suppose I cannot stop you. Rosa's dream always has always been to go chase stars or whatever it is that you all will be doing. She has always been fascinated by what is normally considered alien; that's why I was not surprised when she said she was having you stay with us. I say that in best way possible you understand."

"I do not take offense Sir; I understand your meaning. So does this mean that we will have your blessing?"

He gave him a good look and then pointed his finger at him. "You are not to be intimate until you're married you understand? You make an honest woman out of her! I did not raise a tramp! I don't care how modern, or how changed has influenced the thinking of young people this day in age."

Damn; this ruined his plans to take her to his room first thing when they got back.

K'Tiran raised his head but then bowed.

"I assure you Sir; I will make an honest woman of her, as you say."

"When will you announce your engagement?"

"Tomorrow after the Domino tournament; I shall give her the ring at that time as well."

"Good! Well then; you have my blessing." He said and then he extended his hand towards him.

"I know that you normally don't do the touching; but if you can play patty cake with my daughter when you think nobody is looking then you sure as hell can shake my hand!"

K'Tiran's eyes actually opened a fraction wider and his eyebrow rose up to his hairline. Could he have been watching when he and Rosa thought they were alone? He guessed that what everyone here says is true; there really was no privacy.

K'Tiran was actually at a loss for words so he simply extended his hand and took the firm handshake that Rosa's dad bestowed upon him.  
>He placed his arm around K'Tiran as he carried the heavy basket back up the stairs as if it weighed nothing.<p>

"You know; you really should consider moving here. I could use a lad like you to help me." He said laughing. He could always hope that they'll get tired of running around in space and settle down, in the meantime; throwing hints would have to suffice. 

Rosa was waiting for K'Tiran when they got back upstairs. She had a large straw bag hanging off of her shoulder and a matching straw hat, sunglasses and some kind of cloth wrapped around her torso. It was blue with white floral print.

"Come." She said taking hold of his hand and leading him back out.

Once they were downstairs she turned around briskly, almost running into him.

"So? What did he say? He walked in laughing so I take it he approves?"

"Not only did he approve but he suggested that we move here so that when you bear my children; you will have their support."

Rosa grabbed the top of her straw hat as if it were to fly off if she didn't.

"HE DIDN'T!" She exclaimed.

K'Tiran cocked his head to the side and graced her with a small smile. "You know I wouldn't lie to you."

"No! I know! But I just can't believe he actually said that! What did you say in response?"

"I simply told him that our plans were to remain in Starfleet for now."

Rosa scoffed and continued walking. "Too right! I worked so hard, and studied until wee hours of the morning to get accepted only to quit now!"

"I understand his sentiment though; he is a man who values family; it is expected of him to desire the same of you."

Rosa looked at him frowning slightly. "Don't tell me he's already brainwashed you…"

"If my 'brainwashing' you are implying that he has convinced me; you are mistaken, but the idea is not so farfetched when you consider your families background, and even you may find to have a change in thinking sometime in the future; that is to be expected."

She stopped walking and then took off her sunglasses and looked up at him. "Do you want a family in the future K'Tiran?"

K'Tiran looked to the side for a moment, thinking and rethinking her question.

"I cannot give you a valid answer at this time for my mind is focused on completing my term at Starfleet. My decision would also be impacted on the way it affects you since you are to be a part of my life now. Should you decide that you want to start a family; I would have re evaluate my planning."

Rosa smiled and began to blush crimson; it made her look lovelier than what she already was.

"It sounds to me like you wouldn't object is what I'm hearing."

"If it is what you want." He said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

But Rosa immediately waved her hands in the air the same as her father did just mere minutes ago pushing the topic away. "Things are happening fast enough as it is for us to begin talk of having a child; I'm not ready for that yet, but if there is anyone I'd want to have a child with K'Tiran, it is you."

K'Tiran ran his fingertips around her cheeks then trailed down to her lips where they lingered for a moment before he knelt down to kiss her plump lips. Already he wanted to be consumed into this stimulating activity but the words of her father had him pull away.  
>Rosa didn't think anything of this however and she merrily began walking again.<p>

"Come, we're almost there." She said, and when they turned up the sandy path and reached the top of the steep bit; they were suddenly gifted with the view of the vast beautiful turquoise Ocean.

**Wont be updating till Monday; just a heads up.**


	25. Chapter 25

Commander Alda had been called last minute the night that he and Hawkeye were going to discuss important matters. He was worried how this might seem to her for out of all the moments to be called for an emergency staff meeting; it had to be then, and at night. He had been sitting there present in body but elsewhere in mind with his arms folded across his chest and wondering why he had come at all.  
>The morning after he made his way hastily across the lawn and over to the dorms where he woke Hawkeye up, it was a good thing her roommate was out of town otherwise it wouldn't look right to her. "Get dressed; We're gonna go out." He said frantically. Hawkeye was still half asleep as she hurried through her morning routine, rubbing her eye with one hand and brushing her teeth with the other. She even put on different colored socks but couldn't really bring herself to care about it.<p>

They were walking away from campus now neither saying anything to the other. Hawkeye looked like she was still waking up so he turned into a corner and then stopped suddenly where she almost ran into him.  
>"Coffee?" He asked and then proceeded to walk into a coffee shop where there was only an older man seated at the bar reading a newspaper.<p>

"I'll have a doubleshot espresso." He turned to her. "What would you like?"

"Cafe con leche." She looked at his confused stare and shrugged. "Rosa taught me to drink it."

They grabbed their drinks and sat down on the far corner where they wouldn't be disturbed. He looked at her frothy drink and smiled. "Where has your friend gone off to anyway?"

"She went back home to Puerto Rico." She said as she lifted the drink to her lips.

"And the Vulcan that's always hanging around her? Hard to imagine them separated!" He said jokingly but when Hawkeye averted her eyes and didn't reply. He blinked in shock a few times and started.

"Don't tell me."

"Fine, I wont." Hawkeye quickly replied.

"They're together?" Commander Alda asked in astonishment.

"Just remember, you said it not me."

"But, but... I thought that he doesn't he have? I mean.. How?"

"Believe me; I'm still trying to figure it out myself, but believe it or not they seemed to just have come together almost immediately from the moment they met. Although; there was reluctance on both parts at first. He had his reasons, she had hers but apparently they worked it out despite obstacles."

Commander Alda shook his head. "I still can't believe it though."

Hawkeye gave him a sideways glance. "What's so hard to believe though? Because they're of a different species?"

"No believe me, that doesn't have to matter; I know this but when it comes to Vulcans, I thought they were all work and no play driven people. I find it hard to believe he would've formed a romantic attachment with a human, especially him. He came here and was said to be the one that would set Spock straight in the ways of being a Vulcan and it was made very clear that he was to come and it would be all business; I thought he'd be working hard…"

"But that hasn't changed." Hawkeye interrupted. "He does work hard, and she does too; they just do it together now. I don't think neither of them planned for this to happen, it just sort of did and they tried to fight it at first but I think they reached a point early on where they both realized that they're better together than apart so they just gave up and let it happen. I don't think the relationship has changed their goals."

Commander Alda seemed to think this over before he looked down at the table and said: "It doesn't always turn out that way though. I'm a good example."

He sighed and looked over at Hawkeye. "Eight years ago, before I became a commander, I was stationed at a post in Taliszar 2 where I worked alongside a woman who was a native from there. She was unlike any I had ever met before. So ambitious, such fire in her spirit, and determined to do anything to reach her goals. At the time I could relate because I was a late bloomer so to speak.  
>I spent a lot of my youth jumping from job to job not really purpose driven, never becoming attached to one person, just going through the motions you could say. It wasn't until I was in my thirties that I realized that I needed to get my act together and that's when I joined starfleet... Anyway; I was stationed there and we hit it off right away. It all seemed so meant to be and things progressed to the point where I asked her to be my wife.<br>We were married and shortly after I was asked to return to earth because I had been promoted to Commander. She did not want to live here; her life was on Taliszar 2 and she made it quite clear that she felt I was fouling our future plans, and maybe I did because despite her pleads I ended up returning to earth anyway with the promise that I would still make it work despite living on another planet. I'd take a shuttle out to Taliszar every weekend, sometimes putting my need to see her ahead of my duties. I'd plead with her to stay here on Earth for a few weeks, she'd have my quarters to share, anything she needed but she was so against coming to Earth and that of course led to arguments for how could she be so against coming to Earth and yet she married an Earthling. Things got bad at times and it went on that way for two years and then she told me she wanted us to separate for a while. I was against it but she was sure that we needed the time apart to re-evaluate our circumstances. I personally thought that we spent too much time apart as it was so I was not happy with her decision but.. What could I do?" He sighed and rubbed his forehead, the memories obviously causing him displeasure.

"I wont go through all the details of it, but it went on and off like that for a few more years and then this year I found out that she finally wanted to get a divorce."

He folded his hands and looked off into a distance, his blue eyes taking on a dull look. "Normally when a person goes through something like that, the expected emotion to it is supposed to be pain, loss, heartache, and while I did feel all of that, the predominant feelings I felt were not those."  
>He then looked directly at her. "Am I a horrible person if I tell you that I felt relief? A sense of freedom and release that I had not felt in eight years. What does it mean when after the divorce was final, and after I found out that she had another that I did not care. What does that say about me?"<p>

Hawkeye sat back and let everything sink in. She remembered Rosa's words and she realized that she had been right. This man had been carrying around a lot of baggage. She suddenly wondered if being with him was such a good idea but at the same time it was obvious to her that she simply couldn't walk away from him.

She cleared her throat and folded her hands on the table. "I think it says that you're human and that you went through an ordeal that caused you a lot of grief and frustration so it's natural that you'd feel relief. As for not feeling anything when you found out she had replaced you, I think that maybe deep down you assumed that would happen and that's why it wasn't a surprise to you. That's all I can really say since I have never been married and thus cannot give you a better perspective. I myself have never really settled down with anyone and the one time I did; I found out he had been cheating on me so after that I figured all men were scum of the Earth and kept to myself for a while. I dated, I established friendships but I'm not a trusting person; I always assume that if I don't leave I'll get left which is why I haven't been able to form anything solid with anyone."

She looked up at him, totally and completely serious. "You will not be an exception, especially since I saw you that day with that young thing."

"But that was just and attempt to get you riled up! I swear nothing happened! I took her home an hour after you saw us there. I even saw when you and your friends walked into the east building that night, that's how early it was when I got back!" He said hurriedly.

"Still. " She continued. "There's the fact that you are a Commander, and I am a mere cadet. There are a lot of obstacles. Do you really think it wise that we get involved? Wouldn't it be like falling back into a similar pattern as when you were with your wife? You cannot openly date me, show affection, there is a lot to consider."

"You sound like you want to end this." He said miserably.

"I don't, I'm just being realistic; I don't want to set us up for failure."

He smiled despite how final everything sounded. "See, that's why I like you. You have this balance of being free spirited but at the same time you know when to be mature and grounded."

"And you need that in your life don't you? Someone to ground you to normalcy." She nodded. "What happens after? Will you throw me away?"

His eyes sparked suddenly. "I assure you I'd never do that! If anything, my past history should say to you that I don't let go easily once I latch on to someone I care about!"

"I know." She said and she reached out for his hand which he gave. She intertwined her fingers with his and looked up at him. "I need some time to process this."

He sighed and looked at their hands. "I knew this was going to happen, its why I put off telling you this."

"No, I'm glad that you did; because I understand you better now. I appreciate that you've been so completely open and honest with me."

"But..."

"But I need time. I'm not ending this between us. Just be patient, ok?"

He nodded. "I understand."

OoOoOoOoOoO

The day of the much anticipated (for the men at least) Domino tournament came and Rosa was helping her mom with the cooking. Her father was downstairs getting the fire pit ready since it was customary that during celebrations a whole suckling pig was roasted on a spit. Rosa had worried what K'Tiran would say about this but he had said nothing, as a matter of fact; he seemed oddly distant. She noticed it when they had gone to the beach the day before, it was as if he didn't even want to look at her while she was in her bathing suit and conversation had been minimal, was he tiring of being around her?

GG came over as well as her family. They were all downstairs when another couple showed up with a tray of food. It was Fernando and a young woman with long light brown hair and curves that even the waves of the Ocean would be jealous of.  
>Rosa whispered to GG. "I thought you said he was single."<p>

"Well, he was; I guess he heard you were coming and decided to change that."

He immediately ran over to Rosa's mom and gave her a loud kiss on the cheek, looking around and smiling broadly when he realized everyone was watching his entrance.  
>He went around and shook hands with everyone (except K'Tiran) and introduced the girl as a "friend" and then he came to Rosa and GG.<p>

"Well, long time no see, how's Star Fleet treating you."

"Very well, thank you."

K'Tiran was watching the exchange from where he sat. He noted that this Fernando was tan, dark haired, about 150 pounds and around 5'8" in stature. He seemed to like to smile and expose his perfectly white teeth often and at one point Rosa actually sneered when she thought nobody was looking. This made him chuckle inwardly.  
>He was now introducing the female that had accompanied him and he noted how she looked at Rosa with displeasure yet was forcing herself to smile.<p>

"Capi CU! You guys lost!" Rosa's brother yelled in excitement as he slammed down his last domino and stood up to high five his partner.

Rosa's dad looked over at K'Tiran in complete shock. "What happened K'Tiran? We've never lost one game so far!"

He remained expressionless but inwardly cursed himself for having allowed the distraction. He realized he was actually curious about finally seeing this much talked of 'Fernando' person.

"I apologize; but maybe all the practice Eduardo has been having is finally paying off."

This made him smile broadly. "But dont' worry dad, you and K'Tiran have won five games already. A tleast let us have this one."

They continued to talk back and forth but K'Tiran kept watching Rosa and Fernando. He seemed like he was inviting her for a walk for he motioned towards the trail behind her house. He got up instantly and said: "I'll be right back."

"Yeah alright, maybe you just need a break." Rosa's dad replied without looking up from his dominoes.  
>He walked over and watched as Fernando's eyes grew wide in shock as he approached. He had probably not been able to determine how large the Vulcan really was from his previous sitting position. He actually swallowed hard as his adams apple bobbed but he then turned to Rosa who graced him with a wide smile. "I came over to request we take a walk. It seems I need to have a break from the game."<p>

"Oh sure." She said and didn't even look over at Fernando again as they walked off in the direction of the trail.  
>Fernando remained staring while the girl he brought with him whispered. "He is one fine looking male; looks like she's not going to come running to your arms after all."<p>

They were a couple of feet into the trail when Rosa suddenly turned around and placed her hands on his chest.  
>"You have something on your cheek."<p>

K'Tiran began wiping with his fingers and Rosa shook her head. "No, it's still there; here." She motioned for him to lean towards her which he did and immediately she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss. She was about to let go when she felt him keep her in place and he deepened the kiss, causing her eyes to grow wide in surprise at first, but then she allowed herself to be engulfed by it. 

He hoped he was watching... He hoped they kept true to their anti-privacy ways this time around so that he understood that Rosa was not up for grabs. It was a primal need; he wanted to possess her; everyone else be damned.  
>She broke away from the kiss and playfully bit the top of his ear which was now a fine green clover-like color. This apparently was something he liked for he carried her and leaned her against a tree and pressed himself against her fully. Her eyes grew wide when she realized exactly what she was doing to him and bit down hard on her lower lip as he was nipping and biting her collar area.<p>

"I wish for us to bond." He said suddenly.

She smiled and caressed the side of his face with her small hands. "You've asked me that already and I said yes; remember?"

"No, I mean the Vulcan way; telepathically."

She blinked a few times and then smiled. "Right now?"

"Yes; I want us to be one in mind. To always feel your presence even if we're not together physically, but we cannot be disturbed or interrupted while this occurs."  
>Rosa seemed to think for a minute and then smiled. "I know a place!"<p>

OoOoOoOoOoo

"Well that's the longest break I've ever seen taken you too." Rosa's dad said as she and K'Tiran finally appeared from the trail head.

Fernando was sitting next to his prize female frowning and GG had a wide smirk on her face.  
>She and K'Tiran made their way to the very center and he looked around until everyone had quiet down.<p>

"I want to say that I am extremely privileged to have had the honor of spending time with you all. My time on Earth so far has been so much more than I could have ever imagined and despite the obstacles that life throws; I have no regrets. I thank you for your hospitality and now that I have your undivided attention; I want to announce that…."

But then Rosa lifted her hand that had the tiffany ring and squealed happily: "WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!"


	26. Chapter 26

**Thanks to Condiotti for taking the time to look up the Vulcan terminology for me that is used in this Chapter. **

**The Kal'I'farr ceremony was done using the imagination of my crazy brain so excuse me if it's not up to Star Trek standards…. But I like it anyway so :-P**

The shuttle was making its way down and Rosa could see the familiar bay area and shortly after the Campus. She looked up at K'Tiran who was sitting next to her and whispered: "We're home."

Leaving had been hard as she imagined it would be. There was a lot of crying and promises of keeping in touch but the icing on the cake had been to see Fernando's face when she and K'Tiran had announced that they were getting married. He had turned all kinds of colors and angrily shot up out his chair cursing in Spanish and leaving with his prize female trying to keep up with him.

"You can't blame him Rosa, he was always in love with you. I think he assumed that one day you would come to your senses." Her mom had tried to reason.

"And I did come to my senses; I found K'Tiran and agreed to marry him." She had replied.

Now that they were back Rosa asked him. "What are our arrangements going to be? Do I continue to stay in my room? Or do I..." She blushed and suddenly felt extremely shy as she felt him looking at her.

"I have thought of this too, but there is something we must resolve. I promised your father that we would not be until we were married. I'm afraid that I would not be able to carry out his request if you were to move into my quarters."

He could see even as he said this that she was becoming upset and not only could he now visually see it but he could feel it as well since they were now telepathically bonded.

"I cannot believe my father actually mentioned anything like that to you!" She began.

"There is a way we can carry this out if you wish to live in the same quarters, and not violate his request."

She stopped and looked up at him. "What's that?"

"We've already had the Tel-Tor done; which has bonded us telepathically, now we just need to have the bonding ritual conducted which is known as the Kal'I' Farr. It seals the pact that we are one not only in mind but in body. After that we would technically be married; by Vulcan standards at least.  
>It is normally required that we be on Vulcan to have this done but since my parents no longer want anything to do with me; I see no reason to have to travel back and have this done."<p>

She looked at him with sorrow in her eyes, but didn't say anything because she knew that he understood. "Isn't there another way we can have it done here on Earth? We still have another day before classes resume."

"It has to be conducted by a Vulcan and since I am one of the receiving parties, I obviously cannot do it; but I believe I might find someone who can. We would have to discuss the matter with him and see if he'll agree."

She nodded for she knew immediately who he was referring to; Commander Spock.

OoOoOoOoO

Spock was in his office; Uhura had just left to do some errands before classes resumed. He had offered to join her but she was going with the Orion female and he knew he would be out of place during their outing, not to mention how it would appear if they were seen by anybody in the Academy.

There was a knock and he looked up from his work. "Come in."

In came K'Tiran who he had not seen in a long while along with another student of his that he recognized right away for it seemed as if she had become the new substitute of familiarizing him with Earth customs and they always seemed to be together. He could not blame him for he had told him he needed to socialize and that is exactly what he had done. Maybe he could offer his services again now that he was going to have some availability in his schedule.

"Please sit." He said as he signaled to the chairs placed in front of his desk.

"I trust that you have taken full advantage of having had the past five days and nine hours off from your studious duties." He began, and noticed that Rosa smiled while K'Tiran simply raised an eyebrow.  
>It was peculiar how they both reacted at the same exact moment, and he had studied humans enough to know when something was going on if Rosa's features said anything.<p>

Spock leaned forward and looked at the two of them getting straight to the point. "You require something don't you?"

K'Tiran nodded. "We require that you conduct the Kal'I' Farr ceremony, preferably Some time this evening or Tomorrow at the latest. Would you be able to assist us in this matter?"

Spock's eyes actually seemed to bulge at hearing the news. He said nothing at first simply looked at both K'Tiran and then at Rosa, then looked at her left hand and saw for himself the very thing that bound a couple together by human standards; the ring.

"This is a ceremony that is normally done on Vulcan; why not go there where your family and the adequate persons are present?"

"The answer to that requires a lengthy explanation and there are certain details that I frankly don't wish to discuss, just know that it is not possible for this to be done on Vulcan which is why we have come to you."

A dozen questions ran through his mind but now would be an inappropriate time and it was obvious that this was something they both consented to otherwise they would not be coming to him.

"I have no engagements this evening; I would be able to assist you if it is what you require."

Rosa nodded. "It is."

He looked over at K'Tiran who gave an agreeing nod.

"So be it. I will make the proper arrangements and notify you in an hour's time of where we shall meet."

They all stood to leave and K'Tiran faced Spock. "I think I speak for Rosa as well when I say that we are grateful for your assistance in this matter."

"Think nothing of it; I am simply aiding two fine cadets."

Nothing else was said as they exited. Spock watched their retreating forms and then they were gone.  
>He could not believe it, and yet there it was right in front of him. The full blooded Vulcan who had come just mere months ago was now going to be bonded with a human. Some serious meditation was definitely required afterwards.<p>

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Oh my gosh! When did you get back?" Hawkeye exclaimed when Rosa chimed at her door.  
>After they hugged; Rosa handed her a small bag. "Got you some teas from the island. It's a passion fruit flower mix; I think you'll like it." Se said as she sat on the spare stool she had lying around.<p>

"And to answer your question; I got back this morning."

"And you just come now to see me?" She said looking at her watch and noting that it was well into the afternoon already.

"Well I had a lot of stuff to take care of before the Ceremony later."

"What ceremony?" Hawkeye asked.

"K'Tiran and I are going have the Kal'I'Farr ceremony, which means we'd be married the Vulcan way. Commander Spock is going to conduct it."

All Rosa could see were Hawkeye's wide eyes and shocked expression. "I'm sorry it's just that you said you were engaged and now.."

"I know how this seems but trust me when I say that we both want this. I still plan to have a human wedding done after our first year is over so we can have a proper celebration and a honeymoon and all that jazz." She said excitedly. "And the reason I took so long was because we had to talk to Commander Spock and ask him to do the ceremony, then I had to pack some stuff and take it over to K'Tirans place and then I had to go to the clinic and get a shot."

"Shot for what? Are you sick?"

Rosa laughed and felt herself blushing. "Contraceptive shot Hawkeye."

"Oh! Right! A child is the last thing you need right now, good thinking!"

"You know, it's funny; when we told Commander Spock; he actually displayed shock in front of us. I was a bit taken aback to see him so openly emotional about our decision."

"Can you blame him?"

"No, I guess not. I wonder if he see's our bonding as something taboo even though he himself is a product of human/vulcan pairing."

"Yeah he seems so asexual and straight laced about everything. He even appears to be more Vulcan than K'Tiran himself! I'm surprised he's going through with conducting your ceremony."

"Well in the end it's our decision and I think he's smart enough to know that what he thinks wont effect our decision either way. Sometimes I feel sorry for him; it would be nice if he'd know the joys of experiencing love."

"Yeah it's too bad. So what are you going to wear for the ceremony?"

"I haven't a clue. I don't think I have anything that's appropriate; do you have time to go shopping? We'd have to hurry though."

"Of course! It's not everyday that a friend of mine gets married!"

OoOoOoOoO

Uhura came in to Spock's office beaming. "I'm back! Say I have an idea; how bout we go to this nice Vegan restaurant that opened up on Palmers street? I hear they make the best Asian style wraps!"

"I will not be able to this evening for I am going to conduct a Kal'I'Farr ceremony."

"A what? Who's getting married?" She asked taking a seat across from him.

He put down his pen and sighed as he looked at her. "Cadet K'Tiran and Santeiro wish to be bonded and have asked that I conduct the ceremony and since I see no reason why I should not; I have agreed."

Uhura's jaw practically fell to the ground, it was most unbecoming on her, but this was a normal way she displayed shock. "Wait a second; you're not talking about the tall Vulcan guy that Gaila was crushing on? The one we said came here and would be all strictly business? You mean him?"

"Affirmative; it seems we have misjudged the matter."

Uhura sat back in her chair and had a far off look on her face. "But.. he's only been here for a few months and already.."

"Nothing can be said on the matter; you must trust that they know what they're doing."

Uhura's face suddenly became sad and grave looking for she and Spock had been carrying for years now and it all still had to be top secret. Every time they went out as a couple it had to be a place far from campus where they would not be seen. Hiding in corners, coming up with excuses, all because she did not have the choice that others had and this was a major reminder of that.

"I have to go." She said suddenly and got up quickly. She was at the door when Spock called out: "Nyota; you know our position, if we could..."

"I know, but it doesn't make it hurt any less." She said and then left his office.

OoOoOoOoOoO

When Rosa and Hawkeye got back, there was a message from K'Tiran informing Rosa that Commander Spock wanted them to meet outside of the North building near the meeting rooms. Apparently he had prepared one of them just for the occasion. It seemed almost like a sentimental gesture to Rosa, but she kept the thought to herself.

Hawkeye helped her with her hair and her makeup. She placed pearly white hairclips on the sides so that the front part of her hair spiraled down her back. The dress had been an ordeal for there seemed to be nothing appropriate. Everything was either flashy for like a party or too plain, until they went into a small store that didn't look like much on the outside, but once they went in; there were all kinds of dresses on the far back. There was one that was ivory with beaded flowers on the top right shoulder area and then on the lower left skirt. It was elegant yet simple; perfect for the occasion.

When Hawkeye was done and Rosa looked at herself in the mirror, she hardly recognized herself. Such a contrast to how she normally looked in her uniform.

"K'Tiran is gonna shit when he see's you." She said as she marveled at her work.

Rosa laughed. "Don't know about that, he's a Vulcan after all."

"Whatever, he's still a man." Hawkeye joked. "And then, when you're alone; you bring out this little number!"

She then pulled out a bra and panty set that still had the tags from the store. Rosa's eyes bulged at the sight of the string like under wear and lacy set. "Umm.. That's gonna hardly cover anything Hawkeye."

"I know! That's the point! Geez, where would you be without me? I'll leave this where you'll be able to find it; Now go before you're past arriving fashionably late!"

Rosa took a deep breath and hugged Hawkeye; "Thanks for everything."

"No problem, see you..." She looked up as if thinking about it while a smirk formed on her face. "Well I know I wont see you tomorrow, so see you Monday when classes resume." 

Rosa playfully slapped Hawkeye in the arm before she left and made her way towards the North building; her heart pounding wildly all the while in the knowledge that she was on her way to get married.

When she arrived; she could already see K'Tiran and Commander Spock outside waiting for her, she tried to walk faster but it was hard since she was not accustomed to wearing heels, and with her luck she might just fall on her face. 

She took deep breaths all the while whispering to herself; "Just breathe, breathe girl!"  
>As she approached, both Vulcans turned to face her, the heels making a louder sound than she would've liked in contrast to the silence around them.<br>She couldn't help but smile when she saw that he was wearing a robe she had never seen. It was made from a fine fabric that looked incredibly expensive. It was a dark burgundy with gold trimming. Rosa thought that if such a thing existed; this is what Vulcan royalty would look like.

She knew she was staring, but she didn't care for he looked so incredibly handsome that she could hardly believe that this gorgeous Vulcan was really going to be her husband.  
>Apparently she wasn't the only one who was thinking such thoughts for she noticed he had what she referred to as "the look" upon his face. He did not hide the way he looked at her from head to feet, and then he took her hands in his mentally saying through their bond. "Do not be nervous." She was still getting use to speaking through the bond, but she managed to reply back. "It's alright; it is derived out of happiness." He lifted a brow apparently unaware that there was such a thing as 'happy nervousness'.<p>

Spock cleared his throat breaking them from their reverie and motioned towards the room. "If you are ready to proceed."  
>Rosa looked happily up at K'Tiran and they entered the conference that was totally and completely unrecognizable.<br>The table and meeting chairs had all been cleared out and a rug of fine and intricate design had been placed in the very center.  
>Incense was lit, and the room had dim lighting; if she didn't know better; she'd say that whoever set this up was a romantic at heart.<br>They took their places, and it was very similar to the human way where K'Tiran and Rosa stood facing each other with their right hands held up, almost touching, but she could feel the intensity regardless.  
>Commander Spock stood in front of them and he began to unroll a long scroll. Rosa noted that throughout all of this, he remained perfectly unaffected by everything that was going on, he simply did what was asked and said nothing more, hinted of no emotion, indeed he acted even more Vulcan than K'Tiran in that instant and she wondered if he was trying harder than usual to put on the "Vulcan front" <p>

Rosa did not understand a word that was said by Spock but K'Tiran was translating via their bond. It was not an emotional sermon as she obviously expected. It was more like being told what was required of them now that they were officially bonded. What they needed to do and how to uphold what was expected of them.  
>K'Tiran was then given the scroll where he read some of the words that were written on there, then the scroll was passed to Rosa where with the help of K'Tiran, she was able to read aloud the words as well.<br>Instead of kissing to seal the ceremony; their minds were joined and what she had felt was so intense that Rosa's initial reaction was to break away but K'Tiran held her closer and consoled her through the bond, and before she knew it; it was over.

"The Kal'i'farr ceremony is now concluded." Commander Spock said as he began to roll up the scroll again.

K'Tiran nodded towards Spock and led Rosa out of the conference room. Once they were outside, K'Tiran turned around and placed his fingertips over Rosa's lips before he leaned and kissed her the human way. Rosa embraced him and wrapped her arms around his neck, neither knowing that Spock was watching through the conference room's glass pane.


	27. Chapter 27

**I fixed the "Spick – Spit wording" Thanks for that Botsey!**

**MVW, Thanks for the recommendation; I shall read her fanfic!**

It came to be that what Hawkeye had said was true; K'Tiran and Rosa did not leave their quarters until classes commenced again, and when Hawkeye saw Rosa making her way to class; she had a smile that took up half her face and Hawkeye couldn't help but laugh like an immature high schooler who just met up with a friend who had scored big time.

"So? How was it?"

"Hawkeye! Really! A girl doesn't kiss and tell!"

"Except for me, now spill!"

"Well, I obviously can't go into details now cause I'll be late for class; but… let's just say it was very surprising.. In a good way! He's umm… extremely passionate, which took me off guard; again in a good way! And he's uh… How should I say…"

"Well endowed?" Hawkeye supplied.

"Hawkeye!"

"Well?"

"Well um.. yeah.." She said as she began to blush. "There is that, but I was gonna say that he's very energetic."

"So what you're really saying is that he wants you all the time."

"Yeah" Rosa said almost too quickly.

Hawkeye gave her another mischievous smile. "Wow, I'm almost jealous, you won the lottery with him; hell, I'd marry too soon too!"

"Oh my god Hawkeye! I have to go now!" She said trying to sound serious but laughing anyway.

She turned around just before reaching class and said: "I'll meet you at lunchtime Hawkeye, so we can talk."

"Ok!" She called back, still smiling mischievously.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Something was wrong, Spock could sense it immediately when Uhura came in. He was watching her as she was helping one of his students now, watching and remembering how dry she had been when she had walked in that morning. The usual beautiful smile that graced her face was not present and she was very dry when she responded to his questions.

After class was over, she was getting her things and he came in, carefully watching what she was doing, and then he looked at her saddened face.

"I wanted to make a query of you Nyota; are you well?"

"I am." She replied without looking at him. Immediately he knew that she wasn't.

"I wondered if today would be an adequate day to try out this Vegan restaurant you had mentioned earlier. It would be a suitable choice of evening consumption."

She looked at him then, for the first time that entire day, but her features were hard, and for the first time, she was unreadable.

"I can't, I have too much going on today Spock." She swung her bag over her shoulder and placed her hand on his.

"Another time." She said and then turned around and left.

Spock stood there, still looking at the place where she had been standing. For the first time, he felt a very uncomfortable feeling at the pit of his stomach that worked it's way to his chest, but he couldn't give the matter much thought now for he had to go in and teach his other class.

He took a sip of tea and then made his way to the classroom where everyone was already seated and awaiting him. For the first time; Spock was 35 seconds late for class.  
>He made his way to the front and began:<p>

"I hope that you all have been able to gather sufficient rest…" He looked up and realized which class he was teaching now for before him he saw K'Tiran looking intently at him; poised and ready.  
>Spock immediately looked to the side and wondered why Rosa was not seated next to him. He continued talking but his eyes scanned the room for Rosa and she too was where she usually sat;<br>next to her friend Hawkeye.  
>It was probable that they didn't want to attract too much attention for he too would've recommended that they act as they normally did. As he was looking at Rosa, a light reflecting from her hand flashed his eyes; the ring.<p>

Every time he looked her way there was that flash serving as a reminder of what she and K'Tiran had, what he and Uhura couldn't have and this angered him. He could feel it coarse through him and the fact that he was angry only served to frustrate him more. It was illogical to have something like this happen; his mind should be clear and focused, but it wasn't, and it was then that he realized that he had stopped talking in mid-sentence. His hand had formed into a fist and all the cadets were looking at him wide eyed except for K'Tiran who simply had a raised eyebrow.

"You're dismissed." He said suddenly.

All the cadets looked at each other as if trying to confirm that he had actually dismissed the class after only fifteen minutes. One of them stood and looked around in a confused manner before he asked nervously: "Commander? Did you just uh.. dismiss the class?"

Spock turned around, his chest heaving; "Why do I need to repeat myself?"

The cadet swallowed nervously and almost tripped on his own feet as he made his way out of the class.  
>He turned and went into his office but he could still see the class filtering out. In particular Rosa and K'Tiran who seemed to naturally draw together, he watched as their hands lightly bumped into each other, neither saying anything, but it was there. He could see how they were in tune to each other, his hand formed into a fist again, and when they finally turned and left out of sight; he slammed it onto his desk, effectively splitting it in half; the contents that were on it spilling everywhere.<p>

OoOoOoOoOoO

Hawkeye looked at her watch and then around her area again. Rosa was already half an hour late and their break was going to be over in fifteen minutes, and in reality; they had had a longer break than usual since Spock let them out so early. She gave a huff and got up to make the lunch line, as she was grabbing her tray; Rosa came stumbling in, her hair disheveled and her uniform obviously wrinkled.

"I'm sorry I'm late Hawkeye!"

"It's ok, here." She said handing her a tray, and trying to hide her smirk. "So what did ya think about that Spock business?"

"Yeah! Did you get a load of that? It was like he suddenly snapped! What do you think happened?"

Hawkeye shook her head grabbing a wrap and a juice. She looked over at Rosa who grabbed a wrap, a bowl of fruit, a salad, and two juices.  
>When they sat down, Hawkeye watched in awe as she practically rampaged into their food.<p>

"Hungry much?"

"Yeah, starving!" She said in between bites.

"You know… " Hawkeye began. "I have something I need your opinion on, it has to do with Comma…."

"Oh my god! Look what time it is!" She said she started grabbing her things. "I'm sorry Hawkeye, We'll talk later; I promise!"

She watched as Rosa sped off, half her lunch still on the table.

"Yeah, no problem." Hawkeye said dryly to herself. 


	28. Chapter 28

Spock was pacing around in the controls room. K'Tiran should've been there by now, and even though he wasn't late yet; he was always accustomed to arriving earlier than the expected time. What would Commander Patel think if he had recommended a cadet who showed up late?

The reality was that Commander Spock did not need to be there at all, and he really couldn't explain what drove him to be there. He looked at his watch and confirmed that K'Tiran was now eleven seconds late.  
>He turned to face Commander Patel when suddenly the door chimed, and in came Cadet K'Tiran. Spock quickly turned to look him over carefully for the first thing he noticed was the overpowering smell of peonies and mixture of bodily fluids that still lingered. The cadet's uniform seemed to have been put on in haste for it was not crisp and as perfectly wrinkle free as it normally was. His eyes were slightly dilated, and his lips were swollen. He could've gone on looking at the evidence of why he was late but he pushed it from his mind, yes even the slight bit of sweat had formed at the top of his brow.<p>

"You're thirty two seconds late cadet." He said with all the authority he could muster. "Explain."

K'Tiran raised an eyebrow. "I do not think it appropriate that I elaborate as to the reasons for which I am tardy in front of you and Commander Patel, I.." In that instant Commander Patel interrupted. "Spock, are you for real? The kid was perfectly on time by my standards, now; Cadet I need for you to start going over these figures and.."

Spock felt the same feelings surface as he had before. How dare the Commander cut him off; in front of a cadet no less! and his answer had only confirmed what he had thought and without saying another word; Spock turned around and left the controls room.  
>He didn't even know where he was walking, his mind kept racing for he knew that what he was feeling and what he was doing was irrational. K'Tiran and his bride were free to do whatever they wanted.<p>

"Free to do.." He said out loud. Suddenly an idea hit him; he may not be free to carry on with Nyota as he would like, but he could surely come up with a way to spend some much needed time with her. He just needed to beat the system in it's own game and if anyone was capable of it; it was him.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Uhura was in the communications lab packing up her things and getting ready to leave when she there was a knock. She knew instantly who it was but she wasn't sure she wanted to face him yet. Things had been edgy between them ever since she heard news that the other Vulcan had married a human and as illogical as it was; the whole situation was grating on her nerves and causing her to re-evaluate her situation. She could feel her heart beat quicken as he entered the room, she could hear him approaching her and she closed her eyes when she felt his touch. Without even realizing it, she could hear herself say: "I've missed you."

"As have I Nyota."

She looked up at him, sorrow evident in her eyes. "Please do not look at me that way; I have some news that might lessen your regrets."

"I'm listening."

"Starfleet needs help with it's station in Taliszar 2; Commander Alda was asked yesterday if he was willing to take on the task since he was commissioned there before but he has declined. While they're looking for another suitable candidate I have been asked to assist and I have agreed on the condition that you come with me."

Uhura blinked a few times and opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again. She placed her hand on her head and she suddenly looked as if she were going to be ill. "I need to sit down." She finally said.

"Are you alright?" He asked sitting next to her.

" Spock I.. First of all, doesn't it look suspicious that you've put a condition like that? Not only that but what do I do with school? I'm still a cadet, I can't just leave planet and forget about my studies!"

"I have thought of all those obstacles, the first being that it does not look suspicious because you have acquired much knowledge in the time that you've been my assistant and it is necessary for you to be there to carry out the task. I realize that you have your studies here but your absence will be waved considering you're getting hands on experience as opposed to being in a mere classroom, anyone can surely see it is what you would call: "A once in a lifetime opportunity."

She seemed better but not completely convinced so he added: "And it will give us time to get away from prying eyes and things we have no control over. I do not like how you've distanced yourself from me Nyota."  
>This seemed to be the turning point for she finally smiled, how he had missed it, it was illogical to think that such a simple facial gesture could mean so much to him.<p>

"When do we leave?"

He took her hand and helped her out of the chair. "Tonight, after we've dined that this Vegan establishment I've heard so much about, but we're going to take a detour before heading to Taliszar 2; we're going to a place that would be described as a: 'romantic get away' Does this sound like a plausible plan?"

Uhura smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck before answering: "Absolutely!"

OoOoOoOoO

Hawkeye was in the east building making two batches of cinnamon rolls. One for the lady who gave her the spare key, and the other for herself. She was going to eat every last morsel to drown out her sorrows. She had just placed the rolls in the oven when she heard the door swing open and in came Rosa looking regretful and wide eyed.

"I'm really sorry about earlier; time seems to go by so fast when you're married."

She smiled and waved her hand in the air. "There's no need; I understand that things will be different now that you're married, he's your first priority; I simply hope it doesn't mean that I've lost you as a friend."

"Don't even think that! It's just that.. I don't know that I can really put into words how things have changed now that we're bonded. It's like when I wake up, I can feel him there first thing in my mind and even when we're not together he's always there and it gives me this sense of completion I've never had before. I don't know if Vulcans realize what a truly fascinating gift they possess, it's unlike anything."

"And I bet it's even more special because you two care about each other. I'm sure it wasn't the same when he was with whoever was before you."

"He had her practically blocked until we started developing feelings for each other and then that caused him to subconsciously block her out completely. I probably couldn't block him out even if I tried, my feelings automatically override any metal block filters and he can feel it. Sometimes I wonder how he can stand feeling my emotions all of the time! But uh.. anyway; enough about me, you were going to mention something earlier, is it about Commander Alda?"

Hawkeye sighed and pulled up a stool. "Yeah, he told me everything."

And so Hawkeye relayed everything to Rosa, they were still talking about it even after the cinnamon rolls were done. Rosa made coffee to go with the confection and it wasn't long until all that was left was the glaze on the plates.

"Wow, what are you going to do?" Rosa asked.

"I honestly have no idea."

"Does he still talk to you though? Or are you two back to ignoring each other?"

"No, we still talk but its awkward, you can feel the wall between us."

"It sounds to me like you both need to do something to get your minds off of past occurrences and focused on how you feel now. Why don't you go out some place nice say this coming weekend? Do something spontaneous!"

"That might be a good idea actually; I'll have to mention it to him."

They had started to clean up when K'Tiran came in looking more serious than usual; he nodded towards Hawkeye and took a seat in one of the stools. Rosa noticed this instantly and came around with a cinnamon roll and a cup of tea.

"What troubles you?"

He looked at her and was about to deny it but he couldn't do that now, she knew he would be hiding it from her which would only serve to worry her more.

"Something is the matter with Commander Spock and that is what is troubling."

"Are you talking about what occurred in class today?" Hawkeye asked.

"There is that but today in the controls room; it was as if he was.. How can I put this, he was acting accusingly as if I had offended him."

"Like he was out to get you for something?" Rosa added.

"Yes, and I do not know what I have done to offend him in such a manner. On the contrary, I am grateful that he served as an aid to me when I first came to Earth even going as far as conducting the Kal'i'farr ceremony for us, and since he is half human I am unsure how to approach the matter. Do I attempt to reach out to his human half? I am unsure, the issue of offense is not something common within Vulcans."

"Come to think of it, I would say it's been since around that time that he started acting quirky." Rosa commented. "Do you think it possible that he is not in agreement with the fact that we're married?"

"That is illogical Rosa, if that were the case, he wouldn't have accepted conducting the ceremony."

"To his Vulcan half it is illogical, not to his human half."

K'Tiran shook his head. "I do not understand."

"It almost sounds like you're trying to insinuate that he's jealous Rosa. " Hawkeye said half laughing.

"Or frustrated that he doesn't get any."

Both Rosa and Hawkeye burst out laughing but then when Rosa saw that K'Tiran found no amusement in it, she stopped and quickly placed her hand over his.

"You solve nothing by trying to figure out what you did or didn't do wrong; why not just ask him Tomorrow after class? That way you know exactly if it has anything to do with you, which I doubt."

"That is the first logical thing you've said this evening." K'Tiran said with amusement in his eyes.

Rosa smiled at the Vulcan humor. "I try every now and then."

Hawkeye saw the look in K'Tiran's eyes change from amusement to something else as he looked intently at Rosa's smiling face. It was unmistakable and she was amused that it was so evident even on a Vulcan, only adding further proof to her point that men would always be men no matter what species.

"Well! I've gotta go and take care of some unfinished business, so I will bid you both a good evening!" Hawkeye said as she gathered her things.

After she left, both Rosa and K'Tiran stayed sitting until he finished his tea. She knew he was looking at her, and she knew what it meant for he was transferring it through their bond; she tried to act indifferent to it and even went as far as looking up at him with a playful smile on her face. "Shall we head to the library now and spend the rest of the evening studying Astro-physics?"

She thought he would raise his signature eyebrow and maybe ask why she was suggesting that but she was actually taken a back when she saw that he instead graced her with a small devious smile that made her lose almost all control right then and there. He was catching on, and knew she was playing hard to get. "Curious that you've never shown such enthusiasm to study said subject before."

"I thought you'd be delighted in my thirst for such a dull activity."

"Dull is in the eye of the beholder as you would say, and you mistake me for I am indeed impressed in your sudden interest. I believe that it requires that we head back to our quarters to gather our supplies."

Rosa wasn't going to let him have her that easy, she smiled in turn mischievously. "But they have books on the subject in the library; surely we could just go directly there."

He looked into her eyes and then at her lips, he was inching closer to her and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her but then he suddenly said: "If you wish." And pulled back.

Her smile vanished and she cocked her head to the side. "Wait, did you just agree?"

He stood up from his chair, cleaned and put his teacup away quickly and efficiently. "I did." He finally answered.

She was about to object but then realization dawned on her; he was doing the same thing back to her. So she again put on her smile and walked over to him, gently running her fingertips across the fabric of his uniform, she knew what the sensation did to him, and to make it even worse; she sent an image of something they had done on a previous occasion through their bond. She smiled when she saw that he actually took hold of the countertop and closed his eyes. He was reaching for her and she knew that if she didn't move, he might attempt to take her there in the kitchen.

His eyes snapped opened when he saw she had dodged and ran towards the door. "Race you to our quarters" She said flirtatiously and then ran off.

K'Tiran raised an eyebrow contemplating the concept of "racing" but when she sent him another mental image; all other thoughts were lost as he followed suit after her. 


	29. Chapter 29

**FF was being lame and I had trouble loading chapter 28, hopefully you all were able to read it (and this chapter too).******

**So, am a diehard Labyrinth fan (mostly due to David Bowie prancing around in tight breeches) You will notice this if you look in my profile and see the past stories I've written. The challenge was to incorporate that into this chapter which isn't so easy if you consider Labyrinth is a fantasy/Jim Henson Puppetness and then you have Star Trek which is.. yeah.. So I hope you all enjoy this one. It will be slightly off topic but fear not cause everything will go back into it's course by the following chapter.**

"So did you talk to El Commandante?" Rosa asked as she and Hawkeye were sitting in the library. K'Tiran was working with Commander Patel and not due for another two hours.

"Yes, I venture to say that he seemed surprised that I actually approached him with the idea and now he's all planning this secret outing he wont tell me about until we get there. He says it'll be the best romantic get away."

"Hmmm.." Rosa said aloud. "I wonder where he's taking you? No guesses?"

"None, believe me; I tried."

"That's nice Hawkeye, I knew that's what you all needed. You need to get over the past and just start afresh."

"Yeah, I hope it works out, and I'm glad that he didn't suggest it for Friday because they're having a masquerade ball downtown honoring the classic Jim Henson movie. Maybe you've heard of it; it's called: "Labyrinth." Both Rosa and Hawkeye said at the same time.

Rosa's eyes grew wide, and her smile took up half her face. "Oh my god Hawkeye, I had no idea that you.."

Hawkeye too was shocked as they looked back and forth at each other, then they suddenly started to squeal and giggle like five year olds in their chairs. "David Bowie was so incredibly hot in that movie!"

"You're telling me? And what about that one scene where he backs up Sarah against the wall."

"Oh meee geee!" Squealed Rosa. "That's like my favorite part of the movie, that and...

"THE BALLROOM SCENE!" They both said again at the same time.

"Hawkeye, I have to go with you to this!"

"What about K'Tiran?"

"I'll explain it to him; I doubt he will want to go. I think he would see it as an irrational event, but I'll come up with something to go with you. Come to think of it; I haven't seen Labyrinth since I was a teen."

Hawkeye gave her a mischievous smile. "Wanna see it now? We'd have to go into one of the small conference rooms though."

Rosa looked at her assignment which was almost done anyway and then back up at Hawkeye's PADD. "OK, let's do it!"

OoOoOoOoOoO

Commander Patel and K'Tiran had finished early; 42 minutes and 28 seconds to be exact. He knew that Rosa would probably still be studying in the library so he stopped by their quarters to gather his supplies to join her. This would actually be the first time that they study in the library since they've been bonded. They always plan to study there but then other activities interfere where they end up staying in their quarters instead. He raised an eyebrow in amusement as he thought about the past occurrences. Indeed being bonded with a human had it's unexpected qualities.

He was at the entrance of the library, already able to look past the counters and see the cadets that were currently occupying tables due to his height. He frowned slightly at not being able to see Rosa amongst the handful of students that were there. Odd how he couldn't see her yet he knew she was there.

He walked in and began to wander the isles for she sometimes liked to sit in the middle of the isle while reading something that caught her interest, but this wasn't the case this time. He was now going to try the other side when he looked past the glass pane of one of the conference rooms and saw her there with Hawkeye. They were both intently looking at the PADD laid out before them but something caught his interest especially for Rosa was biting her bottom lip and had a look to her she usually only obtained when she was aroused.  
>He looked towards Hawkeye and saw that she too had a stranger than normal look to her and she was hugging herself in a longing manner. He did not understand what this meant, if this was some sort of human female ritual of friendship bonding but he felt he had to know so he knocked before opening to door to the small conference room.<p>

"I hope I am not interrupting." He began when suddenly both Hawkeye and Rosa jumped up out of their chairs squealing and making quite a fuss.

"I cannot believe she refused him!" Hawkeye began.

"Seriously! Who the hell says no to David Bowie the Goblin King? She could've been a Queen! A Queen Hawkeye!"

"Wanna rewind to the ballroom scene."

"Totally." They said as they were sitting down again, but K'Tiran cleared his throat and they swerved to look at him with wide eyes as if they had been caught doing something illegal.

"K'Tiran!" Rosa finally said. "You're out early..."

"I am he nodded. " and then looked over at the paused screen to see a man dressed all in white. He looked regal in his feathers and wild hair, he would be what humans considered; handsome. He wondered why he wore makeup and why he chose to wear clothing so incredibly tight that it showed practically... and then he looked up at Rosa and asked in a severe tone: "Who is this man?"

"K'Tiran it is a movie from the 20th century; it is considered one of the great classics, and he is long dead." She began, but she could already tell that this was not going to help. She knew he could be territorial if how he reacted towards Fernando gave any indication, but Hawkeye was present and so he did not say nor do what he wished to do so he simply gripped his supplies tighter and said: "I will be outside studying." and then left.

Hawkeye gave Rosa a regretful look. "Sorry if I got you in trouble."

"I'm not in trouble; I just have to explain this to him." Rosa said as she gathered her things and followed him. She sat across from him where he was already writing equations down at super fast speeds.

"K'Tiran.." She began.

"Yes?" He said not looking up at her, nor stopping.

"Please look at me."

"I am perfectly capable of listening to you while writing out my integral calculus problems."

Rosa sighed and shook her head. "I need you to listen to me with your full attention. I'm trying to explain to you what you saw in there." She began; he still was not looking up at her.  
>"I did not realize that humans had the tendency to lust towards someone who was not their bonded."<p>

Rosa's eyes grew wide while he remained completely calm and expressionless.

"K'Tiran, are you serious? I was not lusting! I just find him attractive, and anyway; the actor who played in that movie has been dead for decades!" It was difficult to sound angry when you had to whisper, they needed to have this conversation in private, or not at all because he still was refusing to look at her, and now he was not responding at all.

Rosa sat up looking at him as he still wrote at lightning speeds. She pressed her lips tightly together trying to control her emotions and decided to just leave it for now.  
>She got up, gathered her things and left without saying anything else.<p>

When he knew that she was gone he dropped his pencil. He needed to meditate for he could feel his blood coursing with an unfamiliar feeling that did not sit well. He gathered his things and headed towards their quarters, partially hoping that she would be there, but also considering it would be better if she weren't for it would make meditation much easier.

Once he was outside the building he knew she was not there, and upon entering their quarters; he was able to confirm that she indeed had gone elsewhere. He quickly began to undress and reached for his meditation robes, he knew that they needed to discuss what had happened. He was still so unfamiliar with human behavior and tendencies that needed to be cleared up but he knew he couldn't in his present state, it would ultimately do more harm than good.  
>Once he had his robes on; he lighted his incense and all thoughts began to drift.<p>

OoOoOoOoOoO

Rosa didn't know where she was going but she needed to get some air and clear her thoughts with a nice long walk. Her mind was reeling but her body automatically took her to direction of the bay area. She heard someone calling her from a far and when she turned around Hawkeye was there; her blonde hair rumpled wildly as she ran.

"Did you... Sorry; trying to catch my breath here.. Did you guys have a fight or something?"

"Sort of... He thinks I'm lusting after David Bowie; I don't think he realizes that it's kind of hard to lust after a dead man."

"Wow, I never took Vulcans to have jealous tendencies." Hawkeye said in amusement.

"Heh; tell him that; he'll tell you that jealousy is an illogical human emotion and then go on a rant on how he's being perfectly rational."

"I can understand how he feels though Rosa. He probably saw us before he came into the room and thinks it's disrespectful for you to be so captivated towards anyone else but him. Remember that he came from an almost non-existent relationship to having this all out bond with you."  
>Rosa seemed deep in thought before saying: "That actually makes sense. Oh god Hawkeye; what if he thinks this is like cheating?"<p>

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Give him some time to cool off and talk to him later, it looked like you were going for a walk so go ahead and do that. I gotta go meet with.. well.. you know."

Rosa smiled knowingly. "El Commandante; have fun!" She said before she turned around and once again started walking towards the bay area. There was a nice park there with a pier she liked to frequent, that was as good a place as any to think things through and give K'Tiran his space.

OoOoOoOoOoO

K'Tiran was having trouble meditating.

His mind kept trying to reach for Rosa because he could feel that she was distancing herself more and more. He knew for certain that she was probably no longer on campus, he should've resolved the issue when she had seeked him out.  
>He got up and looked out the window; noting that it was already starting to get dark and it was not safe if she were walking around by herself; if anything happened to her...<br>He did not finish the thought for he quickly turned and left their quarters in search of her not even bothering to change out of his robes.

Before he exited the building he closed his eyes and focused on her, and it wasn't long before he felt her; warm and welcoming. The feelings she transferred were so intense that he had to lean against the wall for support, then he saw flashes of the bay area, a pier, a large adult human male and what looked to be his offspring standing next to him, flashes of gold, bright orange and purple as the sun was setting, and he suddenly knew where she was.

He sprinted the entire way, some people looking at him curiously while others all out ignored him. He finally came to a stop when he reached the small park and saw her sitting with her knees up to her chest and her hands cradling around her legs. She was looking out into the water, her expression serene and in that moment he allowed himself to be engulfed by just how much this little human female meant to him.  
>She suddenly turned around exactly to where he stood and stayed staring at him as he approached, her eyes never leaving his figure even as he sat next to her. When the fabric of his robe rubbed against her, she visibly trembled and he into her eyes.<p>

"You're cold; you could get sick."

Without saying anything she moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him; instantly he did the same, and they sat there for many minutes just watching the sun set and enjoying each others warmth. He inhaled her scent deeply, and slowly moved one of his hands towards the side of her face.

"I'm sorry she murmured."

"It is I who should apologize." He said. "For you tried to remedy the situation and I was not amendable to it."

She placed her hands on his chest and looked up at him, captivated by the warmth and intensity she found in his eyes. "I need for you to understand that I will never desire anyone else but you K'Tiran. I have been thinking about the situation and I realize that had it been me who had seen you looking at another female; I might've reacted in the same exact way, maybe worse."

She reached out one of her hands and kissed him the Vulcan way, he in turn took her small hand in his as he closed his eyes, concentrating on her touch.  
>"Why were you watching that man?" He asked.<p>

"It's a very old movie, and the reason why we were watching it is because Hawkeye is going to a masquerade ball they're having downtown on Friday. It is a tribute to the film and she asked me if I wanted to go. I said I did because that is a movie I remember watching in my youth; it teaches a lesson that you can have all kinds of plans in your mind but love has no plans and when it happens; nothing interferes with it. We watched it to reminisce why we like it so much; it just so happens that the villain in the film is well; you saw."

"That man is the villain?" He asked.

"Yes and no, you see; he fell in love with the main character; Sarah Williams, but he was from another world so he knew of no way to come in contact with her. The only way he saw her was when she'd go to the park and rehearse her lines for you see; she liked drama and participated in plays and skits. He would transform himself into an owl and watch her secretly."

"So he was not human?"

"No, he was the king of the goblins."

"Tell me more; I am intrigued." He said honestly.

"An opportunity finally arose when she was having difficulty with her baby brother. Out of anger she wished that he be taken away and that was when the Goblin King made his appearance. He granted her request and took the baby from her and when he saw that she was upset by this; he tried to temper her feelings by offering her all of her dreams. The fact that she refused him I think fueled his desire for her even more so, but he was a king that had lived his life having almost no interaction with any life form apart from goblins so he handled the situation badly.  
>He made her run the course of his labyrinth and gave her thirteen hours to finish, placing various obstacles along the way. Only then would she be able to retrieve her brother back.<br>I personally feel that he did this on purpose so that throughout the journey she would be captivated by his abilities. There is even a famous ballroom scene that demonstrates how he truly feels, but she fights against him regardless, and I believe that he is both impressed and frustrated that he had found is equal."

"So, she did not return his sentiments? Does she manage to complete the task?"

Rosa smiled and placed her fingertips over his lips before responding: "Would you be against watching the film together? That way you can see for yourself why I am so intrigued by it, as well as having your questions answered?"

He seemed to think this through over and over again, and for a while she thought he would say no, but then he responded: "So long as it is the two of us watching it; I am amendable, only because I am intrigued as to what has captured your fascination... Apart from this king."

Rosa blushed; "I'll behave; I promise. You are my King."

K'Tiran raised his amused eyebrow but said nothing else allowing Rosa to assume that he liked the idea of being her King. "We should head back, it is now completely dark and I don't know if you've had any consumption but I haven't."

"I have not; You know, the Greek place isn't too far from here; Let's get some falafels to go on our way back."

"That is a most suitable choice." K'Tiran said as he got up.

They stopped by the restaurant and got their falafel's, the owner already knew who Rosa was and threw in sides of tabouleh. They settled down once they got to their quarters, getting cleaned up and changed before they began to watch the movie and dig in to their food.  
>"Tabouleh is what you call this salad?"<p>

"Yes, its parsley, mint, bulgar, tomato, onion, and cucumber seasoned with lime juice, olive oil and salt. Do you like it?"

"Very palatable. They do not serve this in the cafeteria."

"I can make it whenever you desire to have it so long as we have the ingredients. Currently we have all those things except the bulgar."

"We can purchase this the next time we go to the grocery store." He said as he began to unwrap his falafel. The beginning credits had ended and the movie now panned down to where you see Sarah for the first time reciting lines from a play in the park.  
>Upon seeing Sarah K'Tiran raised an eyebrow. "I can see why this King developed such feelings."<p>

Rosa smirked and playfully tugged on K'Tiran's robe. "Don't tell me you find the character of Sarah Williams to be pretty."

"There is no denying it; she is exceptionally handsome by human standards."

Rosa laughed, watching in amusement as it began to rain in the movie and Sarah had to run various blocks with her dog chasing after. Various scenes passed, and finally the Goblin King made his appearance. K'Tiran raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he heard his monologue.

They continued to watch the movie, each of them occasionally stating something or casually commenting until the ballroom scene came up. K'Tiran looked over at Rosa who seemed completely engulfed in the couple dancing, she unconsciously was wording the lyrics of the song:

"There's such a sad love  
>Deep in your eyes<br>A kind of pale jewel  
>Open and closed<br>Within your eyes  
>I'll place the sky within your eyes<p>

There's such a fooled heart  
>Beating so fast<br>In search of new dreams  
>A love that will last<br>Within your heart  
>I'll place the moon<br>Within your heart

As the pain sweeps through  
>Makes no sense for you<br>every thrill is gone  
>Wasn't too much fun at all<br>But I'll be there for you-ou-ou  
>As the world falls down<p>

Falling.  
>Falling down.<br>Falling in love

I'll paint you mornings of gold  
>I'll spin you Valentine evenings<br>Thought we're strangers till now

We're choosing a path  
>Between the stars<br>I'll leave my love  
>Between the stars<p>

As the pain sweeps through  
>Makes no sense for you<br>Every thrill is gone  
>Wasn't too much fun at all<br>But I'll be there for you-ou-ou  
>As the world falls down<p>

Falling  
>Falling<p>

Falling in love

Makes no sense at all  
>Makes no sense to fall<br>Falling

Falling in love."

Then Rosa's demeanor changed when the girl Sarah Williams saw the clock strike; reminding her why she was really there to begin with and she forced herself out of the embrace of the King.

K'Tiran seemed to think this a very wise choice but for some reason Rosa seemed upset.

Various scenes followed where this Sarah Williams character made friends during her journey, all of them who coincidentally were against the King and what he had done to this girl who they hardly knew, and they helped her get to his castle. It was curious the words he said as she was running up and down the stairs of the Escher room as if trying to convey the lengths he had gone to get her to his labyrinth for he could not be a part of her world.

This girl however was solely focused on righting her wrong, and ultimately she does win her brother back, and yet this Goblin King is still watching her in his owl form outside of her window late at night.

It ends with him flying towards the moon, and K'Tiran raised an eyebrow as the end credits came on the screen.

"So what did you think?"

K'Tiran seemed to think it over before shaking his head. "It is extremely complicated, and very much a movie created by a human; it drips with emotions, and situations that make no sense to me."

"Doesn't it though?" Rosa said with a wide smile on her face.

"I am however quite satisfied with the ending, it was logical for her to turn him down despite the various feelings that were involved."

"Hmmm.." Rosa said. "I have mixed feelings about it. I agree with what you're saying but at the same time I feel that he never really meant the child any harm. I think his main goal was just to keep her with him since he could not live amongst her people."

K'Tiran nodded. "That very well could be. When one is captivated enough by another person; there is the probability of said person willing to go through great lengths and conquer many obstacles to acquire what they desire."  
>As he said this; he wrapped his arms around Rosa and held her tightly against him. "You know, I believe my opinion has changed in regards to this film, it sounds so oddly familiar in many respects."<p>

Rosa raised an eyebrow and ran her finger across his chest. "So it does my King."

He caught her finger with his hand and held it there so as to not have any distractions as he looked deep into her eyes. Slowly he lowered his head and Rosa closed her eyes as she felt his lips descend against hers. 


	30. Chapter 30

It was lunchtime and for once Hawkeye was shocked to find that Rosa was actually already sitting down in the cafeteria, but then as she approached, she saw that K'Tiran was walking towards her from the opposite end with a tray of food. She smiled to herself and thought "_Of course_."

She put down her books and greeted them before she turned back around and got in line to quickly get some food, the usual wrap and juice was always a quick and tasty fix.

When she was walking back, she was pleasantly surprised to see that they had waited for her to get her food before digging in their own although they were so involved in conversation that she momentarily wondered if they were even going to eat at all.

Hawkeye wondered how it was possible that they'd find so much to talk about considering that they were together now almost all the time, and yet apparently something had their interest for Rosa had her hand placed under her chin and was apparently contemplating something he was saying. He then turned to look at her, his face warm and quite foreign in appearance from his usual demeanor, but when Rosa gave him a coy smile in response while simultaneously reaching under the table towards him; Hawkeye put down her tray and loudly exclaimed: "Gosh! I'm so glad that it's Friday and the day is halfway done!"

She had to bite down her lip in order to keep from laughing when Rosa practically jumped out of her seat in surprise. K'Tiran's expression on the other hand immediately changed back to it's normal unemotional state but gave no hint otherwise that anything was out of the ordinary.

"What are you guys having?" Hawkeye said as she undid the plastic on her wrap.

"I haven't even looked." Rosa said in response.

"For Rosa I acquired a vegetarian wrap she seems to be quite fond of while I am going to try something the lunch woman recommended; a vegetarian version of Sheppard's pie."

"Looks good." Hawkeye said. "So Rosa, what are the plans for this evening?" She raised her eyebrows suggestively for she didn't dare mention anything Labyrinth related in front of K'Tiran.

"I am amendable to Rosa attending this ball since I am unsure when I'll be done with Commander Patel this evening." K'Tiran answered as if knowing all along what she meant.

Rosa smiled in turn and said. "But I hope you don't mind if I decide not to go Hawkeye, I really need to take care of some things that I've neglected since we got back from vacation. I still have a box of things I need to pick up from my old room and I keep putting it off."

K'Tiran turned and looked at her. "Is this your final resolution Rosa? I have already conveyed my renewed sentiments and I am not against you attending."

"I know, and I thank you for putting your personal reluctance aside so that I can enjoy, but I have made my decision." She now looked over at Hawkeye. "I hope you're not disappointed, and please have a good time on my behalf.

Hawkeye did seem disappointed, but she smiled and waved her hand as if reassuring her that it would be alright.

"Oh and by the way; I'm going out and wont be on campus this Saturday…. If you remember our last conversation…"

Rosa's eyes grew wide and a knowing smile came on her lips. "Oh, we definitely need to talk when you get back then."

"We will." She said with a devious smile on her face. "And I hate to eat and run, but I really have to get going now, so I'll see you guys!" Hawkeye said as she grabbed her unfinished food along with her bag and left.

"Why are you really not attending this evening?" K'Tiran asked once Hawkeye was gone.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Because there is something else I rather do."

K'Tiran raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of his juice. "Is that so? And, would you delve into the details of your tentative plans?"

Her smile grew wider, and her eyes danced with mischief making K'Tiran mentally calculate that they had twenty minutes and twenty seven seconds before their break was over. If they left now, then maybe…

"Would you rather discuss this in our quarters?" He quickly added to his previous question.

She laughed; "You want to risk arriving late to your class again?"

She had a point, last time he was several seconds late and risked being reprimanded by his superiors. He was not in a position to taint his name by any means, even if it was something as miniscule as tardiness.

"I suppose not." He said before taking a large bite of his food.

"K'Tiran, I chose not to accompany Hawkeye because even though the idea of going to the ball interests me; I rather spend Friday night with you. It would be pointless to be in a room full of King wanna-be's when I have the real thing at home."

K'Tiran said nothing in response to this but he was looking at her with such intensity that instantly her breathing became harder and she began to bite down on her bottom lip in the matter he was all too familiar with already.

"How many minutes did you say we have left?"

"We now have Eighteen minutes and.."

But Rosa got up left before he could finish, and he knowingly picked up their things and followed after her.

OoOoOoOoO

Hawkeye made sure no one had seen her enter the building, even though it wasn't unheard of to have students come in to see the instructors during break period; she still wanted to be cautious. She had not told the commander she was coming to see him so she wasn't even sure he was going to be there, but she got closer to his office, she could already see him sitting in his chair grading papers.

A smile quickly formed on her face and she knocked on the door before opening it. The commander had not looked up and was still scribbling away as he began: "Yes, how can I help you?"

"I can think of various ways, but I'll let you decide."

His head quickly jerked up and his large blue eyes shone with amusement as well as surprise.

"Ah, then allow me to voice the various decisions I have made then."

He got up out of his chair and looked around to make sure there was nobody around before he pulled her towards him and kissed her deeply.  
>"I'm glad you came." He said. "Normally you're off with that Santeiro friend of yours."<p>

"Well, she is off with her Vulcan today."

Commander Alda chuckled at this. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

He saw the look on Hawkeye's face and he frowned slightly with concern. "Is this becoming an issue for you?"

Hawkeye took a deep breath and let it out loudly. "I don't want it to be, I swear that I don't but I can't help but feel that I'm losing her. I mean; I know things change now that they've had their Kal'I'farr and all that…"

"Their what?" Commander Alda exclaimed.

"Oh, I thought I told you that they had the ceremony done; Commander Spock was the one who conducted it"

"No, you left that out Hawkeye." He seemed to be deep in thought before he continued: "I understand now; listen, what you're feeling is absolutely normal, but at the same time you have to come to terms with the fact that your friend and the green giant are off in bonded bliss…. I should've seen that one coming I mean, those two are never separated! I mean really!.."

"Alan, please?" Hawkeye pleaded.

"Sorry, the point is; this is a natural part of life. When I was younger and my friends were getting married and settling down, I felt the same way you do now, like they're going to forget about you, but if she's your real friend, she'll find time for you. It might not be the same like before but you shouldn't let it get you down, and who knows; you might find someone along the way…" As he said this; he brought her close to him, his face just inches from her.  
>"And, I venture to say that maybe you'll have someone to occupy your time and thoughts."<br>Hawkeye wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, a deep meaningful kiss that quickly became heated. Commander Alda had her leaning against his desk, he was about to move all the papers out of the way with his free hand, his desire to have Hawkeye then and there too much for him to turn away from but then the clock struck one, and the sounds of cadet's entering the building could be heard.

She was about to pull away from him when he grabbed her by the waist with one hand and in his husky, desired filled voice he leaned in close to her, and whispered: "You will not escape me so easily this weekend."

She in turn smiled mischievously and said: "I hope that's a promise…"

"That I intend to keep." He finished.


	31. Chapter 31

**Condiotti, you will either love me or hate me after reading this chapter, but I had the best intentions I swear!**

K'Tiran was working in the controls lab with Commander Patel.

He briefly glanced at the time and noted that there were thirty two minutes and twelve seconds left before he returned to his quarters where Rosa would be awaiting him. His mind flashed to the memory of earlier in the day where as soon as the door to their quarters had closed, he had quickly placed his fingers on her temple and transferred stimulation. That always seemed to cause a reaction within her body that she thoroughly enjoyed.

His ability to use touch telepathy in ways to heighten their bonding had been a new discovery and it seemed that each time they were together, he'd learn something new.  
>He had been with T'Shirah once when he was twenty one at the height of his Vulcan blood fever and the experience had quickly ended as soon as it started. It had been brutal and a selfish attempt from both parties to satisfy their uncontrollable needs and there definitely wasn't anything emotional about it.<br>Once it was over, he had removed the incident from his mind since it served no purpose, but it was totally and completely different where Rosa was concerned.  
>He knew that her being human, she needed to feel the emotional aspect of their coupling first before anything physical occurred and he had to admit that this was something of a concern with him in the beginning when he realized what she meant to him, but after the lawn incident, and after being with her in Puerto Rico, he realized the concern was unwarranted. He would never admit that it was the beginning part, the seeking emotional stimulation which was what heightened the experience all the more.<br>It was like a prelude of what was to come and it brought about a delicious sort of anticipation that he knew he would probably never have had with a Vulcan bond mate.

He blinked a few times and continued to work for he knew thoughts of this nature were distracting to his work, this was neither the time nor the place. Commander Patel came back with the results of his programming calculations.

"Everything seems to be in order, we can go over the results on Monday so you're free to leave early if you wish."

K'Tiran had nodded and politely responded: "Thank you Commander." He began to shut down his work station, already anticipating what was to come once he arrived at his quarters when the Commander spoke: "Cadet, may I ask a personal question?"

K'Tiran swerved around in his chair and looked at him: "Please do."

"On a night such as this, what do you do during your spare time? Do you go back and study? I guess what I am asking is; what do Vulcan's do for fun?"

An image of trying to fix Rosa's uniform flashed in his mind. They had been so heatedly trying to shed their clothing that he accidentally ended up tearing her clothes literally off of her with his strength and effectively ruined her uniform. She had merely stayed staring in shock at first but then had what she called: "A fit of giggles" This reminded him that he needed to stop by the uniform shop and get her a couple new ones.

"We partake in many activities such as meditation, preparation and consumption of nutrients, reading and studying as you put it, would also be included but Tonight I have promised my wife that we would partake of a recreational activity together."

Commander Patel's eyebrow shot up to his hairline at K'Tirans proclamation. "I had no idea that you were married Cadet!"

"I am." He nodded.

"To a Vulcan? You make it sounds like she lives here on Earth."

"She does live here on Earth Sir, and no; she is not Vulcan."

Commander Patel couldn't understand why this news was so shocking to him, the man was entitled to do as he wished so long as it didn't interfere with his work, and his personal life really was none of his business. Then he remembered having seen the cadet in the cafeteria sitting next to a petite girl with long dark hair and she had been looking at him with admiration in her eyes. He wondered if this was his wife.

"If that is all Sir, I bid you a good night." K'Tiran said as he stood up and proceeded to push the chair back in it's place.

He seemed to be in a hurry but decided to give a suggestion anyway, if his wife was human; he knew she would definitely like what was in store.  
>"Before you go." He said, not really knowing why he was saying anything at all, but he liked the Cadet; he always did what was told and made sense of things that were incorrect in a way nobody else did. "May I suggest a place for you to take your wife?"<p>

K'Tiran raised an eyebrow and turned around. "What sort of place?"

OoOoOoOoOoO

K'Tiran arrived at his quarters seventeen minutes and thirty eight seconds later. In his arm he carried two brand new female humanoid size small uniforms. Immediately when he turned around, Rosa approached him with a wide smile on her face.

"You're home early!" She said happily as she looked from him to the items he carried. "What's all this?"

"Replacements for the uniforms that were previously... disfigured." He said as he brushed her lips with his fingertips, then held out the packages for her to grab. A smirk came upon her face and he assumed she was remembering the incident.

"Thank You." She said as she took them by the hangers and walked towards their closet.

"I hope you were able to receive my message about not preparing consumption tonight." He said as he watched her put away the uniforms.

"I did, it arrived right on time too because I was actually just thinking about making a vegetable goulash... Why don't you want me to make dinner?" She asked and then turned to him and gave him a wicked smile. "Are you going to cook for me?"  
>He raised an eyebrow as if analyzing her question. "I had something else in mind."<p>

"What?" She asked excitedly.

"I cannot tell you, it requires us having to go to the establishment and physically seeing it with your own eyes."

"Oh K'Tiran, a surprise?"

"If you wish to call it that." He said. He could see how excited she was as she walked back towards the closet and began to look over her clothing articles. She began to unbutton her shirt while she talked, "How are we to dress? Is it casual? Or.. OH! I'm going to dress up anyway! I have these earings I picked up that I keep meaning to wear!" 

The simple act of watching her was already doing things to him, and he found himself approaching her. She turned to face him and raised a knowing eyebrow as he got closer.

"I think there will be a slight delay in our departure." He said as he already began to place his fingers on her temple with one hand and encircled her waist with the other.

"Yes, yes there will." She replied breathlessly.

OoOoOoOoOoO

As much as Hawkeye disliked the idea of having to go to the ball alone, she went anyway. How often was the masquerade of the Labyrinth ball going to take place? She decided it would be fun to dress up like Sarah Williams and she had found the complete outfit at a consignment shop in town, including the long brown-haired wig.

The event was taking place in one of the finer hotels and the lobby floors were sparkling in polished marble. There were already people hanging around dressed up in fine poofy dresses wearing masks. Some of them really playing the part of the revelers well in the way they laughed and went about.  
>Already she had stumbled across four people who were dressed like Jareth, one of them who held out a peach and offered her her dreams. She had rolled her eyes and said: "It was a crystal, not a peach nitwit, watch the movie!"<p>

Once she made her way inside, there were what seemed to be hundreds of people waltzing, laughing and carrying on, just like in the movie except that there was a live band and orchestra on stage. The sight was making her feel dizzy so she wandered over to where the tables were. They all seemed to be empty except for one where a man who was also dressed like Jareth sat alone. He was wearing the outfit from when he gave Hoggle the peach to give to Sarah. It was like a deep purple royal overcoat with tight grey breeches and long boots. Whoever this person was had found the exact wig that Jareth wore, it was blond, spiky and wild, and upon closer observation she saw that this guy had a better looking body than Jareth himself! She had to investigate who this person was, even if it was just out of curiosity.

He had a glass of wine in front of him and seemed to be looking for someone within the crowds but then he looked over at her, the piercing blue eyes gave him away instantly, it was Commander Alda.

Hawkeye's jaw dropped, unable to believe the sight before her. He merely smiled and cocked his head to the side as he looked her up and down before finally saying: "Hello there Sarah, and how are you enjoying my Labyrinth?"

Hawkeye opened her mouth to speak but then abruptly closed it again. She couldn't believe how incredibly sexy he looked. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his body but then his face was so handsome and so becoming in that ridiculous wig. She had to lick her dry lips and take several deep breaths before deciding she would play along: "It's a piece of cake!" She said, mimicking Sarah in the movie.

The commander got up from his seat and walked slowly towards her, smirk in place before he replied: "You say the Labyrinth is a piece of cake is it? Let's see how you deal with this little slice.."

Before she knew it, she was being led out to the dance floor where all she could do was try not to stumble on her own feet and look at the man that stood before her. It was eerie how the music playing in the background voiced the very thing that was playing in her mind, she was falling, it didn't make sense, but she was falling anyway for this incredible man.

"How did you know?" She finally asked while they continued to dance.

"A little Goblin told me."

She looked up at him and raised and eyebrow before he laughed and said: "Your friend, wife of the giant paid me a visit and I thought it strange because we had never carried on in conversation before. She was very astute in the way she brought it up. She asked me for advice firstly about a soccer technique she had seen on her PADD from a previous game and of course that got me all wound up with talking but then she somehow maneuvered the conversation so that we ended up talking about how she wanted to join you tonight but she wasn't able to, and now she was worried about you coming here alone, but I found it curious, for I was planning to attend anyway." 

He could see that she was confused so he continued to explain. "For you see, I am quite the fan of classics such as 'The dark Crystal', but even more so with 'Labyrinth'. Jim Henson was a genius."

Hawkeye remained staring at him in disbelief. She didn't know whether to pick up a chair and try to smash the walls to make sure she wasn't really trapped inside a dream crystal or allow herself to fall into the realization that she might've finally met her match.

"She knows about us doesn't she?"

Hawkeye nodded. "She will not say a word, you can count on that."

"How long has she known?"

"Since the beginning, and even if I had not said anything, she would've figured it out eventually, especially after the scene you put on in the restaurant that one time."

He smiled and spun her around. "You're never going to let me live that down are you?"

"Eventually, maybe." She said jokingly.

"So, I take it the Vulcan knows too."

"He does, and he figured it out on his own accord, nobody said anything to him."

He spun her around again and this time clutched her tightly to him, his face inches from hers. "I didn't realize my feelings were so transparent; maybe we should be more cautious..."

"Or, maybe we should spend less time at trying to sneak around in the academy and more time meeting elsewhere."

She looked up and saw that his blue eyes glittered with emotion. She knew that he was pleased with the fact that she had finally decided to carry on with the relationship, even if it was a secret for now. He smiled and led her away from the dance floor, his arms still clutching her closely to him.

"Where are we going?" She asked when she saw that they were now headed towards the lobby.

"The elevators."

"And then?" She asked, not knowing where he was going with this.

"I think we need to re- enact the oubliette scene in private, away from all those people."

"Oh?" She asked curiously.

"I planned ahead and booked a suite, I hope you don't mind my dear Sarah."

Hawkeye's stomach twisted with excitement at his statement, he really did have everything planned out. She couldn't help but smile as he led her into the elevator, once the doors were closed, she wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes and said: "As you wish my king."

OoOoOoOoO

Once Rosa and K'Tiran finally did leave their quarters; they took a shuttle bus into downtown. K'Tiran looked over the directions that Commander Patel had given him but made sure Rosa did not peek. She was much engaged looking out the window and trying to figure out where he was taking her.

She wore a lovely black dress with a matching black shawl accompanied with the crystal earings. She wanted to put makeup on but they were already running late so all she managed was some mascara and lip gloss. K'Tiran was wearing black trousers and a long sleeved button down burgundy shirt. He looked so incredibly handsome, that Rosa was tempted to just stay home and not go out at all.

At one point she had reached out her hand to feel his but immediately pulled back, reminding herself about the public display pet peeve Vulcan's had. He recognized this and instead, reached out to her through their bond. Rosa smiled as soon as she felt him, and sat back with a satisfactory smile. A couple of stops later, K'Tiran got up from his seat and this time did reach out for her arm. "I believe we are here." He said.

They got off the shuttle and on to a brick road where there were lots of little shops and restaurants. They made a right turn and came upon a lovely looking Indian restaurant.

"This is the place." K'Tiran announced. "It was recommended to me by Commander Patel."

"It's lovely!" She said as they walked in passing the vases of freshly cut flowers.

The waiter greeted them warmly and he asked looking up at the K'Tiran. "Are you K'Tiran? Raj told me that you would be dining here this evening."

K'Tiran raised an eyebrow. "If you are referring to Commander Patel, then yes."

The waiter raised his hands up happily and turned to lead the way. "Follow me please, we've reserved the best seat in the house!"

They were seated in the back next to the fireplace and immediately the waiter opened up a bottle of Champagne and poured them both a glass.

He made his recommendations and then left with promises of bringing back Naan bread.

K'Tiran eyed the drink curiously while Rosa smelled it. "Mmmmm." She said before taking a sip.  
>Her eyes opened wide in delight. "Oh my, this is so smooth!"<p>

"The subject of alcohol has never really gotten my attention for it does not react in the same manner that it does in humans."

"In other words you don't get drunk?" She asked.

"Precisely."

"Maybe we should ask the waiter to bring you some hot chocolate." She said taking another sip.

He looked at her and graced her with a small upturn of his lips. "Perhaps when we return to our quarters, I will let you prepare some."

She raised her glass and took another drink when the waiter returned with their naan.

K'Tiran ordered the Dal Mahkani, a vegetarian dish with spiced rice, while Rosa had the Paneer.

Rosa was on her third glass of Champagne when K'Tiran noticed the flush that had developed on her cheeks. There was a glaze in her eyes and he noticed that she couldn't seem to stop smiling, yes; Acquiring some of this Champagne was something he was going to have to look in to.

"If you are ready, I will take us to our next destination." He said after the waiter removed their empty plates.

"Next destination? We're not heading back home?" She asked.

"Not yet, I think you will enjoy it." He said with amusement as she finished the fourth glass.

**More To Come! Thanks for your reviews as always!**


	32. Chapter 32

**I have decided to conclude this story because I feel like I can go on with it forever and what I really wanted was to establish our characters and what was going on. I feel I have done this and will now begin working on the Sequel. Lot's more drama and excitement to come so stay tuned!**

When Rosa woke up, the first thing she noticed was how sensitive her eyes were to the light that was streaming in through the window. Suddenly her body became aware of the difference in feel her surroundings inflicted and she sat up abruptly noting that she was definitely not in the quarters she and K'Tiran shared.

Her body was wrapped in a simple sheet and she realized she was naked underneath, as she moved; her body ached. She was laying in what was probably the biggest bed she had ever encountered. The room itself was a sight to behold as the décor had a warm and elegant feel. Colors of gold and olive green were the central theme, along with very tasteful and fine quality furnishings scattered around; it reminded her of the Indian restaurant.

She turned to her side and was not surprised that K'Tiran was not there for he usually awoke much earlier than she did and spent the extra time that humans needed to sleep in meditation or sometimes he'd head to the Starfleet gym. She wondered where he was now; she wondered where she herself was now, and as these thoughts began to process, she was overcome with a sudden ache in her head.  
>She touched her forehead with her hand cringing in pain. "Note to self, less champagne next time."<p>

There was a fine antique looking table with a gold lamp, next to it was a waste basket that contained some unrecognizable rubbish along with empty chocolate wrappers. A smile came upon her face and she suddenly remembered why she ached so badly.  
>"I don't remember how we got here though." She said aloud, and just as she did, she felt the warmth of K'Tiran through their bond and knew instantly to head out of the room. She did so still wrapped up in the blanket when she saw him in the kitchen making breakfast. He turned around upon her entering the room and amusement was clearly written all over his face as she tried to accommodate the now toga she wore. The simple act of smiling caused her head to throb and K'Tiran noticed this.<p>

"I presume that the effects of last night's beverage have worn off."

"They have; I am currently dealing with the after effects." She said as she took a seat on a barstool situated near the counter. He immediately handed her a steaming red mug. "Drink it, you'll feel better."  
>She did so without argument and began to look at his attire. He was wearing a black bath robe she had never seen. "K'Tiran? Where exactly are we?"<p>

He raised a surprised eyebrow. "You mean, you do no remember the events that took place last night?"

Rosa sipped more of the tea before answering. "I remember some things, but this place is unrecognizable to me."

He nodded. "You wouldn't remember this room for we went straight to the bed chamber once we arrived and never left." He said with a slight upturn of his lips.

"Yes I remember that, and the chocolate." She replied smirking. "And how it affected you."

"After we left the restaurant I explained that Commander Patel has a brother who owns this hotel. He made arrangements for us to stay in this room. We need not return to our own quarters until Sunday if that is what you wish."

"Wow, that's very nice of him." Rosa said finishing the rest of her tea.

"A gracious gesture on his part. He seemed to think it surprising that I was married to a non-Vulcan so I was surprised that he extended such a mode of generosity."

"I think people are more open about interspecies unions than you realize, at any rate this is a lovely place." She said as she looked around.

"Yes, something called a penthouse suite."

Rosa choked and looked at him with wide eyes. "What did you say?"

He blinked and repeated: "We are in a penthouse suite; does this displease you?"

Rosa only laughed and got up off the stool, realizing that moving too quick was probably not the hottest idea right now. She made her way out of the kitchen and entered the living area where her hypothesis was confirmed when it led to a glass door that opened to a large and spacious balcony overlooking the bay and the many beautiful buildings.

She felt him behind her now, and she leaned against him. "This is lovely K'Tiran."  
>She felt his fingertips caress her bare shoulders as he answered: "Indeed."<p>

OoOoOoOoOoO

It was Sunday morning when Hawkeye and Commander Alda finally checked out of their suite. He was holding her close as they stood at the counter, the woman attending to their checkout procedure had a smile on her face.  
>"Alright Commander Alda, I've taken the appropriate amount of credits from your account, did you all enjoy your stay?"<p>

"We sure did." He said with a wide smile on his face as he looked down at Hawkeye. He could see that her cheeks were already turning a rosy hue.

"It's funny." The lady behind the counter said. "We've had a lot of people from Starfleet staying here recently. "Why just last week there was another Commander who was here, you probably know him; a Commander Spock."

Both Hawkeye and Commander Alda's eyes widened at the news, but he quickly put on a cool face as if this was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Really?" He said. "Do you remember if he was by himself?"

"No, he had a lovely companion with him. A miss Uhuri?

"Uhura?" The commander tried to clarify.

"Yeah! The very one!" The girl exclaimed. "You know, they say that Vulcan's are unable to express emotion, but I have no doubt that he was over the moon with happiness, well; as much as a Vulcan can manage anyway."

"I guess that settles it then; Thank You." Commander Alda said to the girl and pulled Hawkeye along with him. They said nothing as they exited to the lobby and came in contact with the warm breeze, Summer was fast approaching for it was already starting to feel hot.

After a while Commander Alda finally spoke: "I think that at present we should say nothing of this matter." He began. "What matter?" Hawkeye replied with a smile on her face.  
>He then laughed and pulled her closer. "That's my girl."<br>She stayed staring as if thinking and asked: "You didn't act surprised, how come?"

"Well, I kind of was, but I have always wondered about them. I have observed and notice that when Vulcans take a liking to a particular person, they quickly surround themselves with just that person. For example; There is that friend of yours and the giant. It didn't take very long for anyone to see that there was something there. Every time I turned around it seemed like they were together even if nothing was established at the time. Even if they weren't touching or smiling at each other or what have you, there was just something there where you knew it would eventually happen. Another example; In the past three years I've noted that almost immediately, Spock and the cadet had always been in each other's company but nobody thought anything of it because she took his classes and shortly after became his assistant so it was required that they be together and they've always comported themselves in a professional manner." He stopped as if thinking about it.  
>"That's actually quite brilliantly done. I tried to do the same with you but it didn't work out because you thought I was taking advantage of you."<p>

Hawkeye laughed. "First of all, I didn't know how you felt about me at the time, and you were working me round the clock; I hardly had time to sleep!"

"I wanted you near me, it was the only way I knew of doing it without arising suspicion about us."

"And so you copied Commander Spock's tactic." Hawkeye said with a smirk. "I will agree to be your assistant so long as you give the illusion of assigning me added work. You know I've already got enough on my plate as it is."

"Say no more, just follow my lead and I guarantee that nobody will be the wiser."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

**Starfleet posting on Taliszar 2**

"Cadet, status on your current report."

Uhura turned around from her work station and faced Commander Spock. "I have been successful in translating the instruction manual from Taliszian to nine other languages sir, English included."

"Excellent Cadet. We will be making close to accurate time in getting the program Xavier 300 underway once the manuals are concluded."

"Sir, who was in charge of this outpost before we were assigned here?"

Spock thought for a moment before answering: "For many years it was Commander Alda, but in the last year, two months, 14 days it has been assigned to various officers who merely served as substitutions. Why do you inquire this?"

Uhura nodded. "Oh no reason in particular. This seems like such a nice place, very similar to Earth and the people who inhabit it are so kind. Makes me sad to think of leaving it."

Spock looked around to make sure they were alone before he approached her, taking the empty seat that was beside her. "You know that this is not a permanent arrangement for us, we must return to Earth once our business here has concluded."

"I know Spock, I'm merely expressing a 'what if' scenario."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "I never understood this of humans; why must they fantasize and stir up emotions over something they know they cannot have."  
>Uhura smiled and gently stroked the side of his face. "Sometimes those fantasies give us humans the push we need to make our fantasies a reality; it happened for us."<p>

Spock did not reply to this; merely held the hand that was touching his face and gave it a light squeeze before letting go.

"I believe we have not discussed our dining options for this evening. Lady's choice." He said with an upturn of his lips.

She leaned closer and smiled. "The first restaurant you took me to when we got here, just for the sake of fantasizing." She replied.

He nodded. "I will do this to please you my Nyota." He looked around again to make sure the coast was clear and suddenly leaned forward to capture her lips with his. 

**Ok, so this is the conclusion of Illogical Love Part I  
>Stayed tuned for Part 2!<strong>


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